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Sanctuary Birds Found Dead

Michael

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Just wanted to share this story. It’s a reminder that just because someone has a sanctuary doesn’t mean your bird will be safe. This woman claimed to have employees and plans put in place to protect the birds.

 

rocky'smom

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Just sickening
 

Tyrion

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WOW :sad8:
 

sunnysmom

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I saw this previously. Completely heart breaking. I question how on earth anyone thought one person taking care of 400 birds was a good idea to begin with.
 

Hankmacaw

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A very sad case of someone not reaching out for help when they need it desperately. The birds, of course needed help even more, but they could not ask.
 

Zara

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Truly a sad tragedy all around. Very heartbreaking for everyone involved and all of the birds.
 

tka

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So desperately sad.

I've read about this sanctuary before and was intrigued by their approach of single-species flocks. At its best, it could have worked wonderfully to meet birds' complex social needs. It's devastating that what was supposed to be a place of sanctuary became a place of suffering.
 

Tanya

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This hit me hard. Many years ago, before I realized what qualities to look for in a good sanctuary, I thought about having Rhubarb go here in case something happened to me. The thought of the people who left beloves pets in that place, excited for them to have the beautiful future described in the website, now learning that their beloved bird died of exposure and starvation... Thinking about it made me feel a kind of weird, dislocated heartsickness. My flock got some extra nuts and head scritches today.
 

A.K

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Oh gosh, that is just horribly heart-breaking. I read this a few hours ago, but didn’t have the change to respond. I’ve been thinking about those poor poor birds all day, and I agree with @Tanya it’s a strange heart sickness, but none the less horrible
 

Kassiani

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That’s sickening and heartbreaking to think about! There is a thread here where someone was asking about that place because she was trying to find a home for her bird. I hope that she did not end up placing her baby there!
 

howdymjm

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I see nothing under 990 tax exempt org. She may not have filed. A clue to the size.
 

WikiWaz

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This is so sad. It seems like they did not have a contingency plan in place.
 

sunnysmom

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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.)
 

rocky'smom

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May she rest in peace.

I did a dive into this ' sanctuary' last night anything I could find on it. There had been board of governors until last couple of years. There was couple years that her annual reports were either delayed or insufficient.
The business was on the Better Business Bureau but was rated mid range.
I feel just sick that no one seem to know she had all these parrots in this sanctuary. And possibly had no one to help her.
May those birds fly high and straight over the rainbow bridge and forever be in our hearts.
 

lexalayne

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these events are so sad they take your breath away - there are good suggestions in this website that would help safeguard our pets if we live alone and something goes wrong.
 

tka

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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.
 

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