Dear Parrots magazine,
Talking Rubbish!
With reference to Trevor Hollings or North Yorkshire’s letter in Parrots issue 141 October. I find it extremely difficult to believe that anyone could say that Steve, of the National Parrot Sanctuary, is only interested in making a profit and that the aviaries are not ideal or suitable for the birds there.
My family and I have visited the sanctuary on numerous occasions over the past years and each time we have been in awe of the complete dedication that Steve and his staff give to the parrots and other animals at this sanctuary.Myself, my husband and my niece have done the ‘Parrot Experience’, which involves being at the sanctuary for the day and spending the time feeding cleaning and generally spending time with the birds. On this occasion we saw the mound of fruit and veg that was delivered, along with chickens, nuts and parrot mix – I would not have wanted to pay that bill! We had tea in the café where we saw the ladies in there painstakingly making a ton of flap jacks made with palm extract so that the birds were eating as healthily and naturally as possible.
While there on one occasion, we were also unfortunate enough to see three very sick birds that had been left outside the parrot sanctuary over night in the middle of January, only to be taken in by Steve and cared for by him and his staff, treated by a vet and brought back to health, I have to wonder what would have happened to those poor birds without those dedicated people. There is a sick bay for the poor birds that can no longer be looked after by their owners for one reason or another, maybe because they couldn’t afford to have them treated any more, what a good job that there are people like Steve and co to take the reins in cases like these! For 365 days a year, they cook for, feed, clean, tend to and play with these birds, they change their toys, perches and branches at a rate of knots, these things are all done by Steve and all the staff lovingly and with great care, nothing but nothing is too much trouble.
The last time we were there was New Year this year. My niece was doing voluntary work for the sanctuary to gain experience for her future career as a vet, the sanctuary was closed but Steve allowed us in and would take no payment as they were closed, but didn’t want to turn us away as we had come up from Norfolk, so there was no profit making in us! The entry fee is really reasonable and makes for a very entertaining day out, the gift shop and restaurant are extremely good value for money, and this man and his staff deserve praise for their constant dedication to these beautiful birds that without them, could end up very tragically indeed.
Myself and my family will continue to sponsor and support this brilliant cause. I myself am lucky enough to live with 11 delightful birds and know the hard work and time that goes into looking after them, so I take my hat off to Steve and can only say thank goodness some of us understand the effort and hard work and dedication he puts in to giving these birds the best that he can. Mr. Hollings I have to say that I think you are talking absolute rubbish!
Rachael Griffin, Norfolk