Help save injured and orphaned wild parrots

At the beginning of May, SCP welcomed a new Operations Manager to the team- Ashly Cass is my name (HI!) and although I am new to this position, I have been committed to the mission as a volunteer for years. After a move to Florida and obtaining a degree in Zoo Animal Technology, I am now back on the west coast and working full time at the helm here at SCP! Over the last six years, I have gained a wealth of knowledge and am always nurturing my deep passion for wild parrot conservation! I am excited to be here and I hope I have many opportunities in the future to connect with all of you lovely people! Now for the exciting stuff!

Last month, we assisted USFWS with a wildlife trafficking case and have been caring for 21 critically-endangered Yellow-Naped Amazons and three Red-Lored Amazons that were confiscated at the Miami Airport. Still in the eggs- the parrots began to hatch as they entered the airport. The peeping sounds tipped off the agents who searched the luggage and found a temperature controlled incubator in a suitcase. The person transporting the eggs has already been to trial and has been sentenced. However, the future of these 24 birds still hangs in limbo and we are very hopeful that this case will help pave a path to parrot repatriation. Returning them to their native range will not only be the best option for these individuals, but it will also help boost the wild population, which is severely struggling. Not to mention, the opportunity to give these beautiful, long-lived birds their freedom back! 

Next--baby season is upon us!!! Currently, we have Amazon babies in all stages- naked brooder babies, patchy feathered babies learning to use their feet, and older babies in various stages of the weaning process. It’s been very fun to watch them grow, develop and make progress as real parrots over the last couple months. 

‘Baby Bird’ was the first baby of the year who joined us way earlier than we expected (by over a month!), and he was alone in the brooder for weeks before another baby came along. He has since developed a bit of ‘only child’ syndrome- he doesn’t appreciate having to compete with all of these other birds for his food and ultimately ends up throwing a tantrum then walking away! Even though we do make sure he has space to eat, he doesn’t like other birds in his ‘bubble’! He has started to eat on his own now and depends less and less on syringe feeds, so he should be able to find something delicious to eat in one of the many food bowls that we’ve strategically placed around their cage. His personality keeps us all laughing everyday!

Lastly, I’d love to send a shout out to all of the wonderful people who have committed a significant amount of their time, energy and resources to helping us rescue, rehabilitate, and re-release SoCal’s wild parrots. We really couldn’t do any of this work (certainly not to the scale that we do it) without our volunteers. The Parrot Care Volunteers who come out to our facility every week, the Transport Volunteers who drive countless miles to rescue parrots and bring them to us for care, and the huge network of veterinarians, rehabbers, and wildlife lovers who help out wherever they are needed, no questions asked. You guys are all amazing! Specifically, the following people/groups are continuously putting the parrots first and we feel honored to have them on ‘Team Wild Parrot’:

• Dr. Todd Cecil
• Dr. Kristina Vuong
• Dr. Teresa Micco
• Dr. Chelsea Dillon
• Dr. Patricia Latas
• Rachel Avilla
• Pasadena Humane Society
• Project Wildlife
• The Shore Sanctuary
• Avian Underdogs Rescue Association 

Also, another special shout out to Paul, Karen and the rest of the wonderful folks at Rare Species Conservatory Foundation in Florida for caring for the confiscated birds during the first two months of their lives, it been a pleasure working so closely the past few months!

Unlike next time, it's nice to virtually 'meet' you all and thank you for your continued support!