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  • They aren't indigenous. But even if they were natives of the area, you can't let tamed animals go, they will die. Many are injured and most are traumatised. But even indigenous species usually can't be let go if they end up injured in a sanctuary. In the wild, you need your parents and your group to teach you how to survive because the wild really is wild and you'll die if you can't look after yourself, know what to eat and how to fight for territory, build nests, or shelters, etc. All part of the learning process every creature goes through when young. Many humans have almost entirely lost this ability to survive and in modern civilizations, are dependent on the State, on cars and on cell phones, social workers and office jobs in corporations, . If they are ever challenged, they'll die too. Or be attacked and robbed or killed by those who can.

    If non-indigenous species escape and manage to thrive and breed, they invariably threaten the existing wildlife and biodiversity.

    Toffee is a pet. She was just not wanted any more and so she ended up at the rescue centre and is now in a forever home with us.

  • Toffee is doing so well. She is in her transition aviary today and has got up on a branch and is looking very happy. Eating extremely well. Even made a few sounds. She's been silent since she came here, as they usually are when in unfamiliar surroundings. First she started beak clicking and bowing and today I heard a magnificent jungle squawk. :love:

    Louis is so excited about her he can't shut up. Stares at her all the time. :)

  • Which begs the question, I don't know how old parrots get, but you said Louis is 25, is he up for it, excuse the pun?;)

    So glad Toffee is doing well, she is in fine hands.:thumbup::thumbup:

    I've only ever seen a parrot once and I'm afraid it was almost identical to the first picture of Toffee you posted. It was when I was ten and I went into my local pet shop, (when we still had pet shops on every high street in the UK) and it was in cage. I was horrified. The cage was tiny and the bird was in clear distress and wanted to leave. I never went into a pet shop again.

  • Louis' mate died of extreme old age and she was a rescue of about forty or perhaps even fifty when she died. Even the vet was surprised at her age. Louis has been with us for about 25 years but when he came he wasn't that young so he could be anything up to thirty. Poor creature comes from the forest in the Congo or Tanzania. I'm glad we could give him a forever home in an aviary or he would have spent his miserable life in someone's kitchen saying Polly wants a cracker.

    I agree that caged birds are a horror story. So are lizards in glass cases and hamsters running in wheels but it's hard to stop people keeping pets. Expense is at least a good way to lower the numbers. A good home is what is needed where there is lots of interaction. You know a parrot is happy when it makes a noise and struts around. Just sitting there, usually means they are depressed to death. Like people.

    There were about 20 African Greys at the centre. =O There were Moluccan cockatoos and Sulphur crested cockatoos and the huge Hyacinth macaw I mentioned, plus a lot of macaws. The phone was ringing all the time for new victims coming in. I would very much like to be able to take the Hyacinth at some time. His beak was a bit cracked but he was very friendly. A magnificent bird and enormous. Belongs in the Amazon. Very expensive so someone bought him once and then got tired of him or couldn't keep him. :( Maybe he outlived his human.


    Here he is:

    hyacinth.jpg

  • I once saw an article on a British couple who had kept their dogs' fluff from grooming and woven it into strands and made knitted sweaters out of it. Very nice they were too ^^.

  • Dog owners have a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease or other causes, a study of 3.4 million Swedes has found.

    The team analysed national registries for people aged 40 to 80, and compared them to dog ownership registers.

    They found there was a lower risk of cardiovascular disease in owners of dogs, particularly of hunting breeds.

    This may not be the right place for this story, but it is interesting that single people seem to live happier and healthier lives if they own a dog.

    Like the article, I think its a combination of things like taking the dog out for a daily walk, being exposed to microbes and bacteria that the dog carries, but most of all the companionship.

    If it were in my power, I'd get dogs for all the single lonely elderly and not so elderly people out there.

  • Animals are good for everyone, especially children. They are companionable, loyal, loving and don't ask for anything but your affection and care.

    So many people look longingly at our dog when he is on his walks. You can see the kids' eyes shining in the wish that they had a big furry of their own. When I was young everyone had a family dog or two.


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