Rehoming Birds: How It Used To Be Done

REHOMING BIRDS...HOW IT USED TO BE DONE!!
Over the past many years some birds have always needed to be rehomed when owners were very ill or died. PRIOR to the nineteen nineties, that was taken care of by bird clubs, bird vets, and even zoo persons. During the 1990s some individuals likely saw a money making project and created rescues. Before rescues, in California the Contra Costa Avian Society routinely assisted with rehomes. no money changed hands. The point was to provide a new safe home for the birds. Some of these cases were very sad. One young man had a cockatoo he loved. He developed a medical condition and his doctor told him IF he kept that cockatoo it would cause his death. He cried when the cockatoo was picked up and rehomed. Then there was the guy who called me from the local homeless shelter. I met him to take his small macaw which was delivered to a person who had a similar species macaw. This man had a regular job for the RR for many years but the RR downsized their local office and he couldn't find another job and became homeless. He found my phone number in an old Bird Talk magazine and called for help. Another guy who cried when he had to lose his bird but knew he couldn't care for the bird while living on the streets! These were real rescues and no one charged anyone for the process...bird lovers just helped other bird lovers. Over several years all sorts of birds were rehomed, from pet starlings to large parrots. We always tried to find a home with a similar species. One issue today is rare species...any serious rescue that ends up with a rare species should make a point of locating an appropriate breeding facility for that rare species. Serious bird lovers operating rescues need to be assisting in the conservation of species by doing their part so these birds can contribute to the gene pool for that rare species.