Karen Atwood–Senior West Coast Vice President and Southwest Coast Foster Coordinator for Florida Parrot Rescue–discusses the founding and evolution of Florida Parrot Rescue (earlier called Tampa Bay Parrot Rescue), and how her own involvement began.
Listen Online Now:
She also addressed the organization’s educational emphases–highlighting the rewards and challenges of living with birds, including traits unique to parrots, such as life spans for some of upwards of 80 years, or their vocalizing which can be a real issue particularly for those unprepared for the “noise.” Atwood explained the importance of fostering, including how it can help modify a bird’s behavior and boost its adoption prospects, pointing to Stevie–a bird she herself is currently fostering, and brought into the studio for the interview–as an example: he came out of a bird hoarding case in Orlando and, related to that, was very vocal and loud when he arrived in Atwood’s home. But she and her family have reacted (or, more to the point, not reacted) to Stevie’s vocalizations in such a way that they’ve become quieter and less frequent. She also outlined the Florida Parrot Rescue adoption procedure, noted their long-term hope to create an accompanying avian sanctuary, and briefly commented on parrot mills. (www.FloridaParrotRescue.com, www.Facebook.com/FLParrotRescue)
COMEDY CORNER: Dave Attell’s “Parrot” (www.DaveAttell.com)
MUSIC: Sharon Van Etten’s “Serpents,” Mike Doughty’s “Year Of The Dog,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Stray Cats’ “Stray Cat Strut”
