By Pamela A Lee | Development Director
Mickaboo exists to help birds and the people who care for them. YOUR financial support allows us to continue our mission - and this week's matching gift campaign makes your gift more effective! Gifts up to $50 will be matched at 50% from now through Friday, April 12, 9 pm PT, by GlobalGiving while their matching funds last.
People who discover Mickaboo for the first time sometimes ask why birds need rescuing and what a bird rescue does. Here is the story of Rikki Tikki Tavi to illustrate the answer.
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For the first 40 years of his life, Rikki Tikki Tavi, a yellow-naped Amazon, hung out with his human buddy Jerry. They would drive around the country in Jerry’s delivery truck. In the evenings, you could find them together watching the Andy Griffith Show, with Rikki whistling along with the theme song and having dinner with Jerry.
Jerry reached a point as he got older where he couldn’t take care of his feathered friend any longer. But Rikki's life expectancy was a good 40 more years! That’s when Jerry’s family called Mickaboo about taking Rikki and helping to find a new forever home.
One of Mickaboo’s dedicated volunteers fostered Rikki. Soon some of his talents began to appear. He loved to shoulder surf on his favorite person, preening her hair with a gentle touch. Rikki was a good mimic, too. His favorite sayings were “Good Bird,” “Okay,” “Hellooooo,” “Stepper up,” and “Byeeee!” when you left the room.
Rikki had never seen an avian vet while in Jerry's care. So, given his age, Mickaboo took him for a health check. We learned he was generally healthy, but had the avian equivalent of high cholesterol due to his lifelong diet of human food (we were told his favorite food had been toast). Rikki was put on a proper parrot diet and his cholesterol levels settled down to normal levels.
Mickaboo’s goal with birds like Rikki is to help them find a loving home with a family who understands what’s involved in caring for a large bird with a long lifespan. Mickaboo provides training classes and ongoing support to help our adopters be successful. We also hold events in person and online to introduce our birds to the public and educate prospective adopters. Rikki starred in one of our virtual adoption fairs last year and was featured throughout our Amazon August event, where his fun-loving personality entranced many viewers.
Recently, a family came forward to give Rikki a new home. He’s been settled in for a while now, and he’s completely captured their hearts. Here’s an update: “Rikki’s doing good. He’s quite chatty in the morning. He loves spending time in the kitchen while I get breakfast ready. He enjoys his fruit salad. …We love him, and he’s a great addition to our family.”
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Support from donors like you is vital to Mickaboo’s mission of providing care and services to birds like Rikki Tikki Tavi who need our help. Please consider donating to Mickaboo today - your gift will go further because of the match!
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