Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?

Yet not one of them is forgotten by our Father in Heaven.

Luke 12 v 6

___________________________________

Abijoes began, quite accidentally, in London in 1980 with the arrival of one little budgie in need of a home….. Little did we know then that almost 30 years ( and countless birds) later, we would be embarking upon our most ambitious project to date: the formation and construction of a bird rescue centre that will be built to, not only offer the best facilities for both wild and domestic birds, but will be designed in such a way that people with disabilities will be able to have ‘hands on’ experience running a bird rescue centre for themselves.

So, why have we decided to do this?

Well, there are several reasons. The first is to fully open up the opportunity for people with a disability, either physical or mental, to become actively involved with all aspects of bird welfare, rescue and care. To teach them every process, from the first phone call for help, assessing the patient, initiating treatment and organising ongoing care. This direct approach of ‘hands on’ experience has been denied to many disabled people. Very few ever have the privilege of encountering these wonderful birds on such a direct 'one to one' basis, taking them from ill health, ill treatment, injury or homelessness through to healthy, contented birds. Even fewer experience the amazing thrill of releasing wild birds back to their natural environment on completion of treatment. And, it is time that this changed.

Another reason has been the level of suffering that we have discovered in caged birds. Normal domestic varieties, such as budgies, parrots, canaries and so on, can endure untreated illness or unsanitary conditions because their owners are unwilling, or are frightened, to ask for help from professional parties, such as their local vet or an animal welfare organisation: and there are many reasons why this happens. As an example, if an owner is afflicted with some form of learning difficulty, they can become worried that they will be deemed unfit to look after their pet and fear, quite wrongly in many cases, that it will be taken away from them. Others fear that any treatment offered by a veterinary surgeon, despite the huge advances in avian (bird) medicine, will result in the demise of their much loved pet. So, they keep the problem hidden and, subsequently, both they and their pet bird remain without help.

Similarly, people who encounter mobility problems, can experience difficulty in maintaining their birds day to day care, such as general cleaning, applying fresh food and water and attending to their birds overall wellbeing. So, they too keep quiet and try to manage on their own , often with disastrous results. Abijoes intends to tackle these problems with an Avian (bird) outreach programme and helpline service.

And what about the birds themselves?

Each case is assessed individually. All birds are given the best available treatment and offered permanent homes, where it is deemed neccessary, at Abijoes. They will never be moved on or fostered out to anyone else. Wild birds are naturally returned, wherever possible, to their own environment. Once a bird has passed through quarantine they will be established in one of the purpose built aviaries and monitored to assess their progress. It has been our experience that not all captive birds can cope with aviaries, if they have lived in the confines of a small cage for most of their lives. So, alternative housing within the centre will be used, with plenty of human companionship. More details are available on the 'Our Aims' page.

This is an enormous project that will take time to build and develop, but we hope that you will be willing to help us achieve this goal, to not only help birds in distress, but to open the doors to many wonderful people that are longing for the chance to become Avian carers in their own right. We know that they have much to give and should not be excluded on the grounds of a disability.

Search