Bird ownership proves tough commitment

The closure of a parrot sanctuary in B.C. has literally brought a problem home to roost for a Winnipeg couple who didn't truly understand what they were in for when they first got a cockatoo.
               

Jan and Gord owned Sydney for 17 years before sending her to the World Parrot Refuge in 2011. They believed their pet, which had developed worrying habits, would be happier where she could fly, forage and be with her own kind.

But sanctuary owner Wendy Huntbatch died earlier this year, and now a massive parrot relocation, the largest Canada has ever seen, is underway. Workers at the Greyhaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary in B.C. are caring for the approximately 600 birds and looking for new homes for them.

600 birds without a home

Jan and Gord flew to the West Coast to reclaim their bird and they and their old pet are now struggling to adjust to Sydney's return.

Sydney, who could live more than 30 years, has attacked Jan, biting her twice, and the family dogs cower in the basement for hours after the cockatoo lets go with one of its ear-splitting screams.

Experts divided on parrots as pets

She's dealt with people who hoard birds, birds left in abandoned apartments, birds with post-traumatic stress from abuse and birds depressed by the death of their owner.

There is no reliable information on parrot ownership in Canada, but the American Pet Products Association conducted a survey in 2015 that suggested there are 14 million birds living in homes across the U.S.

There is also a lot of debate about whether parrots should be kept as pets. Organizations such as the Avian Welfare Coalition in the U.S. argue parrots belong in the wild, where they can interact with their flock and fly each day. Keeping them caged in a home causes anxiety and distress.