07/27/2026
There seems to be a lot of confusion and misinformation circulating in the rescue world right now, so I wanted to take a minute to clear a few things up.
First and foremost: T & A Parrot Rescue & Sanctuary in Gerrardstown, West Virginia did not participate in the seizure of the 300+ parrots from Baltimore County, Maryland. We made the difficult decision to decline because we simply do not have the quarantine space to safely handle an intake of that size. Disease prevention is something we take very seriously, and I will never compromise the health of the birds already in our care.
I have shared information in previous posts about some of the rescues that did step up to help, but I will not be discussing that case further.
The second thing I want to address is something that has been bothering me for quite a while.
The amount of criticism directed toward animal rescues has become exhausting. It feels like every rescue is under a microscope, and no matter what we do, someone is waiting to complain.
We feed the “wrong” food.
We have too many rules.
We don’t have enough rules.
People don’t like our adoption process.
They don’t like our surrender process.
They don’t like how we house our birds.
They don’t like that we sell unused rescue supplies to raise money for the birds.
The list never ends.
Here’s my thought…
If you truly believe every rescue is doing everything wrong, then open one yourself and help.
Every rescue operates a little differently because every rescue has different resources, different experiences, different facilities, and different philosophies. That’s okay.
At the end of the day, our goal should all be the same:
To give every parrot a better life than it had before it came into rescue.
A healthier bird.
A better diet.
Proper health care.
Understanding its personality and needs.
Finding the best possible forever home.
Those are the goals that matter.
We don’t all have to agree on every policy or every procedure to be working toward the same mission.
Instead of constantly tearing rescues apart, let’s focus our energy where it belongs.
The real problem isn’t the rescues.
The real problem is the nonstop production of birds that eventually end up in rescue.
So many rescues are overflowing. Many have closed intake because they’re simply full. That didn’t happen because rescues failed. It happened because birds continue to be bred faster than responsible homes can absorb them.
I’m talking about the constant breeding of budgies, cockatiels, conures, African greys, macaws, Amazons, and countless other companion parrots that eventually find their way into rescue.
Before someone mentions conservation breeding—no, that’s not what I’m talking about. Conservation breeding for endangered species is an entirely different discussion and serves an important purpose.
I’m talking about breeding companion parrots into an already overwhelmed market while rescues struggle every single day to find homes for the birds already here.
Please… let rescues do what they do best.
We’re doing the best we can with the hand we’ve been dealt.
If this post makes you uncomfortable, that’s okay.
If you agree, I’d appreciate it if you’d share it. Maybe together we can start focusing on helping the birds instead of criticizing the people who are dedicating their lives to saving them.
