A Michigan state animal shelter received an unexpected gift: more than 800 parrots donated by the son of a man who kept them in a room in his home, the establishment and local press reported.
“Three bird conservation associations are working together today to help the 800+ parrots who gave to us,” the Detroit Animal Welfare Group said in a post. Facebook This Sunday (26).
The son of an animal collector whose poultry project spiraled out of control, gave 497 parrots to the shelter on Christmas Eve, before returning with 339 other birds on Sunday. “A Christmas gift we didn’t expect,” the association commented.
“These birds come from extremely unhealthy environments and their owner’s irresponsibility is tempered,” the refuge continued.
According to his son, the owner of the birds locked them in cages in a room in his house and spent $1,200 a month to feed them, the Detroit Free Press reported.
“They were on top of each other and they were suffocating. They were really, really tense, they were barely moving. We had to take them out and put them in separate cages,” says Kelly LeBonti , who runs the organisation’s shelter, told the newspaper.
The animals will be made available for adoption after being examined by a veterinarian. Some require immediate care, according to the association, which specifies that adopting such birds is a serious commitment, as they live between 6 and 15 years on average.
In the United States, people who negligently collect animals can be prosecuted. However, the Detroit Animal Welfare Group insisted that it had not contacted officials about the matter.
