Home > Help Us > Gimme Shelter! > Issue 3: July 2004 > Candy

Candy

At one time, Candy, a Moluccan Cockatoo, flew free in the forests of Indonesia. She foraged for food, roosted in trees, bathed with rainwater, and called to her flock. Perhaps she had a mate and nurtured and raised their chicks. Or maybe she was merely a fledgling when she was ripped from her world and thrown into ours.

Many years later, Candy was left at a local humane society that placed her with MAARS because of her need for extensive, specialized medical care. Due to poor living conditions and neglect, Candy had plucked or chewed off almost every feather on her body and was self-mutilating, causing a chronic, open wound on her breast. This type of self-injurious behavior is not uncommon in captive, intelligent, wild animals — even those raised in captivity. The cumulative stress of living in an unnatural environment can cause serious health problems, dysfunctional behavior, and mental illness. For Candy, just perching and climbing can be a challenge. She is significantly disabled by her lack of tail and flight feathers, severely atrophied wing muscles and ligaments, and immobile joints — the result of too many years in a cage too small to contain her wild spirit.

Thanks to MAARS, Candy has had surgery to repair the damaged tissue on her breast. She will receive long-term medical treatment and physical therapy in an attempt to alleviate her discomfort and improve her quality of life. So far, she has progressed remarkably well without any self-injury and is actually growing many new feathers!

Join the MAARS Flock Today…and Be the Wind Beneath Their Wings!

The MAARS Annual Membership Program gives you and our other loyal MAARS Supporting Flock Members the opportunity to help MAARS on an ongoing, sustaining basis. Your annual financial contribution will allow us to continue to provide and expand our valuable rescue, intake, care, veterinary and behavioral evaluation and treatment, adoption, sanctuary, outreach, and educational services for the displaced captive birds who we meet and the people whose lives they touch.

With so little, you can do so much to change the lives of birds like Candy. On average, it takes $1.00 per day to care for each MAARS bird. Every small donation makes a big difference, and big donations help even more. Your participation in the MAARS Annual Membership Program will help save and improve the lives of hundreds of parrots and other displaced captive birds.

Please join MAARS today! Give them shelter! Ease their pain! Stop the cycle! And know that you made one corner of the world a better place for another living creature!

Mail Your Membership Donation

Mail a check or money order made out to "MAARS" to: MAARS, 1360 University Ave W #347, St. Paul, MN 55104.

Join Securely Online

MAARS accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, checks, money orders, and PayPal through our online MAARStore.

Click here for more information on the MAARS Annual Membership Program!

Midwest Avian Adoption & Rescue Services, Inc., is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (Federal ID# 41-1944074) and is registered with the Office of the Secretary of State and the Office of the Attorney General of Minnesota as a charitable organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

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