By IW Observer.co.uk
Lorna had a great love for birds since she was young, having owned a huge variety of them over the years. Five years ago she decided to act on this, sparking the beginning of The Isle of Wight Parrot Rescue.
The catalyst was Lorna’s rescue of a greenwing macaw, called Basil, a few years earlier. She (despite the name) was found inside a cockatiel cage with a padlock which had to be cut off, after she had been imprisoned in it for the whole 25 years of her life. Basil suffered with serious health and mental issues and Lorna was heart broken. You’ll be happy to know that after her rescue Basil lived out the rest of her years happily, cage free.
After overcoming a fear of parrots a few years before, helped by her beloved rescue bird, Fraser, Nicki decided to
officially join the rescue organisation a few months after it was set up, as it became clear that it couldn’t be a one person job because so many parrots are in need of help.
The pair said: “The past five years have been a long journey with many obstacles but together we have always overcome them. We’ve taken in hundreds of birds in need of a home, ranging from tiny little parrotlets to the almighty greenwing macaw. Our aim is to enrich the life of all the birds by making sure they are in a safe, happy and healthy environment with their own kind as much as possible, although with some birds we have found this might not be achievable due to various factors.
“We are always looking for suitable foster homes. They can be temporary or permanent, but we aim for the birds to find their forever homes with someone who loves them as much as we do.
“Over the past five years we have met so many interesting and amazing people who have changed ours and the bird’s lives forever.
“On May 29 we are at Fakenham Farm, St Helens, raising funds for our rescue organisation. If anyone can do hair-braiding and would like to come along to join us on the day it would be much appreciated. Or if you have any other ideas how we could raise some money then have a chat with us; we have plenty of room. We would like a donation for our rescue work, with a small amount of profit going to the birds and you would be able to keep the rest of the money you make. If you are interested you can contact us on Facebook and we will respond as soon as we can. But please understand our birds are always a priority!
“Come along and meet the birds on May 29 and have your photo taken. We and the birds love meeting new people as well as seeing familiar faces. We would also like to deeply express our thanks to Pete and Dawn May for their continuous support; we also give our support for your 12-mile walk for Wight Dash in ladies’ high heel boots!
“All funds raised on the day will go towards the welfare of our parrots and running the rescue, which includes providing fresh fruit and veg to keep our parrots happy, toys, and lots of nuts (which are very expensive but necessary for our birds). We also need to provide a spacious environment, so our lovely flock of macaws are finally getting a brand new bird room built. We are also rebuilding our aviaries and a new hospital and flight area with specialised netting to get our birds back into the sky! Any donations towards this project will once again be deeply appreciated.
“We absolutely love what we do and want to thank everyone who has given their support to our rescue and the birds – and many Chelsey Reynard for helping us write this.”
Isle of Wight Observer