Judy Tennant loves parrots.
But she’s the first to admit they are still wild animals, and make lousy pets.
"Those wild behaviours could be screaming, which are contact calls,” she gives as an example. “But they're used to screaming in the jungle for ten miles to be able to contact a mate. That's eardrum splitting."
And some parrots can live up to 80 years, often outliving their owners.
It all adds up to a lot of abandoned parrots. Many end up at Tennant’s sanctuary and rehabilitation centre, Parrot Partner.
Based in Smiths Falls, Ontario, it’s one of just five parrot sanctuaries in all of Canada. And now it’s in crisis. The lease is up, and these highly-intelligent, highly-social birds are going to need a new home by the end of July.
The dilemma is the result of an unfortunate misunderstanding between Tennant and her landlord. Joe Gallipeau, owner of the Gallipeau Centre, says Tennant indicated she wanted to move to a new location months ago. And now he simply can’t offer her any more extensions on her lease. "It's too bad that it happened,” says Gallipeau. “But based on the fact that she gave me her notice then we made other arrangements for the area."
“We can’t afford to stay here,” says Tennant.
The real problem is that Parrot Partner needs to grow. Right now the aviary is home to 27 parrots. Others have been placed in foster care. But the reality is the charity could take in hundreds because too many owners don’t do their homework. “The glut of older parrots just gets bigger and we do not have the facilities to handle them,” says Tennant.
Which is too bad because, while parrots make bad pets, Tennant says a properly-trained bird, and a properly-trained human, can make excellent companions.
Parrot Partner is seeking donations to help with the move to a new home. There is a fundraiser on Saturday, June 11th from 10 am to 2 pm at the Lynwood Animal Hospital at 30 Stafford Road in Ottawa. They’ve also set up a gofundme page.
