Doctor Don Swerida was a unique character, well known throughout the state for his mobile veterinary services. He sadly passed away July of 2017, leaving his 30+ parrots with a designated guardian. Sadly, when faced with the responsibility of dozens of parrots there’s no “room” for a personal crisis and that’s where this story unfolds.

Birds of Paradise is thinking about protection for captive parrots. As we recently completed two back-to-back emergency rescues of 41 parrots, we started musing about what protection exists if any for the captive parrot, what if there was a “Captive Parrot Bill of Rights”, and how the collective avian community can be the passport, spirit and the voice to a better future for every captive parrot.

In late June, Birds of Paradise hosted a group parrot toy making event with a lovely team from local Apple Stores. Little did I know that prior to my great parrot toy awakening of 2018, my understanding of parrot toys was at best rudimentary. If you had asked me why parrot toys are important, I would have listed three of my best “I’m somewhat in the know” parrot toy statements.

Birds of Paradise has long operated an emergency rescue program for distressed, abandoned and abused parrots. This story presents a “birds eye” view of the most recent BOPS parrot rescue event, dubbed the “North Port 15”.

Allison is a Mom to five children and “uber-guardian” to a menagerie of household pets. She has an acute awareness of the important role that children play in protecting captive animals and that they are indeed the next generation of animal and earth guardians.

In August of 2011 our founder, Debbie Huckaby, encountered a heart-breaking situation that would change the course of her life. Dozens of parrots in Troy Ohio had been abandoned and were living in filth and extreme heat with no food and water.