This brought back flashbacks to the WPR situation. I believe people who start sanctuaries are good intentioned. I don't know enough about the conditions of this place to comment on it. It could have been very well run before the person died. I don't know. But the problem with any sanctuary (and rescue) is they need money to be maintained. And often, that's not something people starting one are prepared for. They think people will just donate out of the goodness of their hearts and they can take in all the birds they want and everything will be fine and happy. It's not reality. And unless they have a fundraising plan, it's not going to end well for the birds. People don't want to think of a rescue or a sanctuary as a business but it has to be run like one to succeed. I am fortunate that the rescue I help with understands this and are always looking for ways to keep income coming into the rescue. (Which is why we sell toys at bird fairs, etc.)
This is so important. I keep seeing "sanctuaries" on instagram beg for help with covering the month's food or veterinary fees and the lack of financial stability frightens me. It's not enough to have good intentions: anyone thinking of starting a sanctuary must have good financial acumen and experience or, if they don't have it, must recruit a suitable trustee or paid financial officer as soon as possible.
I found a page on predicative indicators of failure from Judy Tennant on facebook and I'd be interested in reading more of her work if anyone knows where to find it. There are some very sensible red flags to look out for.
The whole situation is heartbreaking. No one starts a sanctuary with the intention of starving birds to death: something clearly went terribly, tragically wrong. I don't know what Lori's physical and mental health was like towards the end, and it would be wrong to speculate. However, regardless of what happened, this shows that there were no failsafes in place. No one knew what happened; no one could access the property; no one knew how many birds were even on the property. No one was there to step in when Lori was incapacitated. No one even knew that there was a problem.
I urge everyone who lives alone and has a pet to set up a daily check-in system. Just a daily - or twice daily - phonecall, instant message or text message that someone knows to expect. If they don't receive the call or text, they should know how to access your property and how to care for the animals you have. If you are rescuing animals, think about how you can ensure that they will continue to be cared for in the event of your death. We owe it to our animal companions.