Dear Parrots magazine,
When we leave?
As the years pass, the question we all ask ourselves is “what happens to our parrots when we leave this earth?” This is a question I have heard and discussed with many other owners who are approaching the winter of their lives. The problem of course, is that most parrots are very long lived and will more than likely outlive us. But what happens then when younger family members have no interest in them and just want to move them on. So where do they go, which is the heart-wrenching dilemma we often find ourselves in.
I attended a convention in the USA some years ago, which was when I first heard this question asked, and was horrified at what one owner said. She said that when she died she wanted her beloved parrots to be euthanized and to go with her as she couldn’t bear the thought of them being separated and sold on. But when giving this matter further thought, it did seem to make some sense.
Similarly, when at the last Think Parrots Show, I got involved in a conversation with an elderly couple who spoke of the same sentiments as that woman in the USA. They told me they had two Military macaws that were hatched from eggs and were just over 40 years old and still going strong, while the couple’s health was slowly deteriorating.
I have to say that this is an issue I will have to face before too long as am in my late seventies, living on my own with my Yellow-fronted Amazon, and you never know what is around the corner. I have two daughters, one who lives in Australia and the other one that does not like birds and who I only see occasionally.
I would be interested to know if anyone else has a solution?
Elizabeth Matthewson, by email