BRADENTON, Fla. — A Manatee County bird sanctuary is getting much needed help to get birds rehabilitated and ready for adoption.
A $10,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota has gone towards expanding the Birds of Paradise Sanctuary and Rescue Center in Bradenton. Now, the operators say they need to find the right, new homes, for the birds to thrive.
"Parrots are the third most popular pets in your families' home and we kind of get bypassed in the donation departments," said Debbie Huckaby.
Huckaby is the executive director of the bird sanctuary and is hoping for a change in attitude towards pet birds, not just when it comes to giving, but also the idea of adoption and how they are treated at homes.
The sanctuary is a safe haven for abused or unwanted exotic birds. The birds, which are mostly species in the Parrot family, range in age and size and many of them have special needs or behavioral issues which often require retraining and attention from the volunteers and experts.
The sanctuary has seen lots of surrenders in recent months which continues to add to its growing bird population.
"A lot of the birds we got in last year due to COVID were parakeets. People got them as companions and then when they went back to work they were going, 'Oh my gosh what do I do with these birds?' So they ended up here," Huckaby said.
That is part of the reason the Community Foundation of Sarasota County awarded the sanctuary $10,000 to help create more room for more birds.
"We have about 275 at any given time...that's a lot of birds," Huckaby said.
"People lose their homes, they lose their jobs, they can no longer care for the bird in the way that it needs to be cared for and some people go into nursing homes or they pass away," she added.
The money went towards remodeling an Emergency Veterinary Intake and Adoption Center where families can better interact with the birds.
"This used to be an old storage building now it is a wonderful place where families in the area can come and spend time with the birds that they are interested in and actually find their new family friend," Huckaby said.
She hopes that during this holiday, families won't just think about furry friends but feathered and talkative friends too.
"We want people to understand that parrots are a very intelligent set of beings and they need your help too. It's not just about the dogs and the cats, we love dogs and cats but parrots have our heart," she concluded.
The Birds of Paradise Sanctuary and Rescue will hold a grand opening open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Dec. 11. Volunteers would share information about the birds and their unique traits as well as information on how to adopt a bird or donate to the sanctuary's efforts.
To make a tax-deductible donation for food, additional aviaries to shelter more birds, veterinary care and community outreach, or to become a sponsor or volunteer, visit www.birdsofparadisesanctuary.com, Birds of Paradise Sanctuary & Rescue Inc. on Facebook or call 727-366-9997.