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Birds are beautiful, intelligent and emotional beings that we have done a grave disservice to. We have snatched them out of their natural environment and placed them in ours. No longer does the majestic creature fly in the wind, sit in the treetops, and live it's life as part of a flock. No, because man thought the bird was "pretty" and could sing and talk to some extent, he took the bird and placed him in a cage.

Instead of the bird eating it's natural foods, it had to rely on whatever the human gave it to eat. So, instead of flying free with the other members of his flock,the poor bird sits in a cage and waits for the human to take a precious few moments out of his or her busy life and spend some time with him. And a lot of caged birds don't even have humans kind enough to give them a few toys to entertain themselves with. How sad!

People walk into pet shops and see a bird they like and they take it home. Much to their dismay, they find out that the cute little baby bird grows into an adult bird, and they aren't as cuddly and cute as they were before. So the human loses interest and the bird sits in his cage all day, everyday...alone. Now, the bird, being the intelligent animal that it is, had learned some tricks on how to make the human take notice of him. First, he calls the human...loudly!!! and he throws his food out of the cage. And he learns to unlock his cage door and let himself out! He might even have to resort to biting the human. Anything to get a reaction! But these are the very actions that cause the human to finally get tired of cleaning up after the bird, or getting bit. So, the human decides the best thing,( for the Human, of course), is to find a new home for the bird.

And so the merry-go-round starts. Some birds are "re-homed" 2 or 3 times in the first year of their lives. This is so distressing to the bird, but the human doesn't care. He no longer is bothered by the bird. But the bird suffers more than the human will ever know. He may get withdrawn, refusing to be handled by humans, refuse to eat, bite everybody who tries to touch him, and in some cases, pluck every feather on his body out until there is only wounds and torn flesh where once beautiful feathers were. These are the birds that come to us, starving for love and kindness. A soothing, calming voice, a gentle touch..or sometimes, just nourishing foods and quiet solitude to recover from the horrors he's had to bear at the hands of humans.

Some birds never recover and live out their lives in deplorable conditions. Some get thrown in closets with no light and little food. Some get put in garages, to be choked by car fumes and slowly killed by neglect. These poor birds didn't ask for this kind of life. We have over-bred, over-sold and over-imported these majestic creatures because we humans are greedy. It's time for the savagery to come to an end! PLEASE do not buy a bird from a pet store or breeder. To do so encourages more of the same. Instead, if you really love and care for these animals, please adopt a bird or volunteer your time or money to a reputable sanctuary. And please do not be fooled by the multitudes of people out there billing themselves as "bird rescues". These people will take your bird, promise you the world, and turn around and sell the bird to someone who probably doesn't know what they are getting themselves into. And the bird gets re-homed yet again.

If we love these birds as much as we say we do, let's do something about the cruelty that they are having to endure. There needs to be laws in place that protect these animals. We have dedicated ourselves to providing whatever it takes to insure the health and happiness of as many birds as we can, but we can't care for all the hurting birds in the world. Every bird lover needs to do his or her part. Find out what you can do to help.