Having a rescue parrot for many years along with two baby monkeys who had lost their parents sometimes led for a challenging environment while living in the Caribbean. They were eventually placed in a wild life sanctuary where I like to think they are still enjoying their lives with freedom.
When I was asked recently if I would like to home a baby parrot my first reaction was an adamant “NO”… I know the intensive care, attention and love they require. Most people do not understand that parrots are inherently wild and it can be rather heart breaking to see them look longingly out a window dreaming about flying above the tree tops. Also the companion parrot has joined the ranks as one of the most discarded and homeless pets in North America. They are likely the most complex and most misunderstood of all popular animals kept as pets…they are highly intelligent, hypersensitive emotionally and physically …. they usually don’t mesh well in people’s homes.
So saying all that ..my heart eventually melted and I relented when owners were leaving and desperate for a home for their baby conure. I know I can care for it well, understand parrots to a certain degree and I have a companion for the next twenty years.. the projected lifespan of a conure. What a romance!
The nostalgia I felt the first couple of weeks with my new companion was rather over whelming remembering my relationship with my previous rescue animals and deceased partner who loved them as much as I did. But here I am with my little Romeo..I couldn’t resist to call him that and he is turning out to be the love of my life.. he already says kiss kiss and hops on my shoulder and away we go.. I am ready for another adventure in my life.
copyright Es-tee Miller
“She was not quite what you would call refined. She was not quite what you would call unrefined. She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot”… Mark Twain
