Most perplexing of all was the fact that this happened at the home of one of the most well-known figures in the avicultural community. Owner of “Fauna NYC”, a high-end exotic bird shop formerly located on the upper west side of NYC, and the Executive Director of the Animal Preservation Alliance, Kopulos was a widely respected authority on parrot care and conservation. His fall from grace has stunned colleagues in aviculture and enraged the avian welfare community.

The Weston, CT, hoarding case was the third such case involving parrots to hit the headlines between June and September of this year. Authorities seized 400 animals, including 251 birds, from a Bellmore, New York, home in June. In July, 337 birds and 8 dogs were seized from the home of Cardiologist Dr. Abhay Trivedi in Dekalb Amazon survivor from the Weston, CT hoarding case County, Georgia. At least 30 dead birds were recovered from that home, with necropsies confirming starvation and dehydration as the causes of death.

Animal hoarding cases are impossible for most people to comprehend and are complicated to navigate legally. They can represent circumstances of extreme animal abuse and neglect, but are typically symptomatic of profound mental illness. Blind to the fact that animals are clearly suffering and dying under their care, hoarders believe they are saving and helping their animals. Hoarding cases are further complicated by the fact that animal cruelty laws and avenues to legal protection for animals are poorly defined or woefully inadequate in many states. And where intervention and prevention would clearly be more desirable than dealing with the tragic aftermath of hoarding situations, legal ambiguity and the energy, expense and expertise required to confront hoarders often deter intervention until those situations become extreme.

Nearly 3 months later The Rhode Island Parrot Rescue continues in their struggle to care for the 112 surviving birds in their modest facility, located in Warwick, Rhode Island. The on-going court case has prevented them from adopting or otherwise distributing the birds. The dedicated volunteers at RIPR are exhausted, but their commitment to improving the health of the rescued birds and erasing - at least on some level - the trauma that has been etched on the souls of these survivors is as strong as ever. Costs of food, veterinary care, toys and enrichments and general supplies continue to stretch RIPR’s limited resources. Rescue events like this require the participation of all of us in the avian care and welfare community. Please consider making a donation to help. Contributions can be made on-line through RIPR’s website at: www.riparrots.org

by Karen Windsor, Executive Director/Foster Parrots