Midwest Avian Adoption & Rescue Services, Inc. (MAARS) - Bird adoption, sanctuary, rescue, and care education services for parrots and other captive exotic 'pet' birds. News & Event

Home > News & Events > MAARSianChronicles > Issue 15: December 2006 > MAARS News & Events: Fall 2006 Event Recap

MAARS News & Events

Fall 2006 Event Recap

MAARS volunteers promoted proper bird care and adoption at the grand opening of the new Mahtomedi Chuck & Don's Pet Food Outlet on November 18.

(Photo courtesy of
Chuck & Don's Pet Food Outlet)

MAARS a Hit at Chuck & Don's Grand Opening

Chuck & Don's Pet Food Outlet has been a loyal supporter of MAARS and a promoter of bird adoption for several years. On Saturday, November 18, MAARS volunteers Jill and Chris Gannon, Karissa Van Erem, and Lilly Carlon headed out to Mahtomedi to celebrate the grand opening of the new Chuck & Don's store, across the street from their old strip mall location.

According to Jill, the new store was packed all day with pet lovers who were excited to check out the latest addition to this local, independent pet food and supply chain. Attendees were entertained and enlightened by Katie K9 from FM107 and pet communicator Teri Ann Lapsley. Humans and non-humans alike enjoyed pet portraits, face painting, and dog and cat paw painting. MAARS and the Humane Society for Companion Animals (HSCA) were on-hand to promote adoption. Many visitors came by the MAARS table to meet adoptable birds and ask questions about parrot care and behavior. Jill, who is the new MAARS Placement Director, has reported that MAARS received quite a few adoption applications as a result of their outreach at this event.

MAARS is happy to continue to work with Chuck & Don's and is looking forward to working in more locations, more often in 2007.

On November 8, Dr. Michael Greger gave a presentation on avian flu and its links to the factory farming of poultry.

MAARS Co-Sponsors "Avian Flu and the Plight of Poultry" Presentation with Dr. Michael Greger

On Wednesday, November 8, MAARS co-sponsored a multimedia presentation by Dr. Michael Greger on the current concerns surrounding the global outbreak of bird flu and the plight of chickens, turkeys, and other farmed birds. Dr. Greger discussed the flu's history, the role factory farming has played, and practical solutions to the problem.

This presentation took place at the University of Minnesota and was organized by Compassionate Action for Animals, a U of M student organization dedicated to promoting vegetarianism and the rights and welfare of farmed animals.

Dr. Greger is Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at the Humane Society of the United States and author of the book, Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching. An internationally recognized lecturer, he has presented at the Conference on World Affairs, the National Institutes of Health, the Bird Flu Summit, and the 2006 Department of Homeland Security Pandemic Influenza Tabletop Exercise, in addition to speaking at countless other symposia, conferences, and universities worldwide. Dr. Greger is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Agriculture and the Tufts University School of Medicine.

Event sponsors included Compassionate Action for Animals, the Student International Health Committee, Midwest Avian Adoption & Rescue Services (MAARS), Chicken Run Rescue, and the MSA DEF Grant.

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