Lola's Story 

Lola, is a Greenwing Macaw who was rescued by a concerned individual and brought to Foster Parrots in March of 2002. This was one of the worst cases of abuse we had ever seen or had the misfortune of hearing the details of.

Lola had been living in a small crate in her abuser's basement for many years. Because the crate was so small, there was no room for the growth of the typically long Macaw tail, so Lola arrived without her tail. She had several broken toes that had never received medical care and had set abnormally. Because she she endured life in a crate for so long, many of her toenails had grown out straight instead of being curved like those of a normal, healthy bird.

Lola is missing her left eye and has a bald patch on the top of her head where the skull is notably caved in. These injuries may be further evidence of physical abuse delivered by her abusers. However, we speculate that her injuries may have been the result of a dog attack. The story told to us was that when she was too noisy, the kids were told to go down and kick her crate to shut her up.

Lola arrived at Foster Parrots severely malnourished and underweight. When presented with a bowl full of fresh food, she devoured it ravenously, not knowing if or when she might be fed again; we were hoping that a good diet will help her healing process, which it has over time. During the first few weeks after her arrival, she would suffer seizures several times a day. We would have to catch her before she would fall and cradle her speaking softly to comfort her, until she recovered enough to perch again, for the seizures would result in temporary paralysis of the right side of her body, including her right leg and foot. As a precaution, we padded the inside of her cage and the floor beneath so that she would not injure herself if she fell. The seizures and her evident right side physical weakness lead us to assume she incurred a degree of permanent brain damage from the trauma to her head.

It was discovered after one of the first seizures that Lola suffered when she came to us that she would allow cuddling while still paralyzed. It was during one of these times that Marc Johnson, Director, was able to cradle her and look closely at her eye and the top of her head. There are no feathers over a 1.5" x 1.5" area on the top of her head, which is covered with scar tissue, and there is a large indentation over her left eye. This was a severe trauma that took the skin off the top of her head and drove skull fragments into her eye.

This is becoming a much more common story. We do not know her age or how long she endured this tortured life.

Lola is slowly, remarkably, making progress. Her seizures all but disappear for weeks at a time, though she periodically succumbs to recurring episodes. She continues to eat like there's no tomorrow, and she is gaining weight and strength. She is also gaining a bit of attitude, which we like to see! She now likes to "talk" to people she knows, saying "Hello" over and over again. She busies herself by chewing and playing with her toys and has even found companionship with other Macaws.

Lola's obvious desire for a companion of her own or similar species fueled our quest to find her a compatible mate. We introduced her to Cuddly Boy, a handsome hybrid Macaw with a dashing personality. Their friendship appeared to blossom at first. However, squabbles became more frequent and after a time the pair settled into a relationship that can best be described as tolerant, but not mutually fulfilling.

We took Cuddly Boy back to his former place in the big Macaw room and introduced Lola to Amadeus, another Greenwing Macaw. Lola and Amadeus bonded within hours. Soon they were feeding and preening each other. After several weeks they were deeply engaged in mutually protective behavior, i.e. aggression toward everyone else, and mating rituals. A successful match, it thrilled us to see Lola involved with her mate and acting like a Macaw should.

It should be noted, however, that although many birds find companionship at Foster Parrots, no birds are allowed to breed.

Once used to a life of constant confinement in a small crate, Lola now spends her days living freely. She is only caged at night to keep her safe and secure. She will never move with the strength and sure footed confidence of a normal Macaw, but she continues to recover and amaze us with her resilience.

A number of people have asked us why, in a case as severe as Lola's, we wouldn't consider euthanasia to end her suffering. The answer is because her life is important! It's important to us. It's certainly important to her. She has some disabilities and her feathers are in a bit of a mess, but she's not suffering. She appears to be happy and to grow more comfortable with her life every day.

Foster Parrots, Ltd. is a sanctuary, a safe place where a parrot can live free from abuse and free from fear.

A bird like Lola deserves the chance to live a life like that!