Rescued birds are happy in Milton

Each morning Diane Cook wakes up to the sound of 50 birds squawking in her home and while most people would shutter at the thought, the birds make Cook happy.

“It’s so rewarding I mean you get up every morning and you have five or six different birds come to you and they depend on you,” she said. “They’re happy and you can see it in their eyes.”

Cook resides in Milton where she runs her non-profit bird rescue, which she started in 2003.

She rescued 75 percent of the 50 birds she takes care of.

“There’s so many people out there helping cats and dogs and other animals and you really don’t hear much about birds,” she commented.

The reason she has so many rescued birds is because people do not research the species before purchase.

“They see these pictures in magazines and they think, oh that would be nice to have sitting in the corner of my living room, until a bird starts chewing on their walls or splattering poop on their wall,” said Cook.

That is when the birds end up in Cooks care.

Birds are messy, they scream and can bite.

These birds can live between 20 to 80 years.

“I just want to make people aware of how needy these animals are,” continued Cook, “It’s like having a two year old child for 80 years.”

For example, “we have this one little guy, his name is Kiwi he gets into just about everything,” she said.

He has fell asleep in the bathroom, makes a mess when having a bath and plays on top of the fridge.

“We have to lock him up when people come because he attacks them and swears at them,” added Cook.

With about 50 birds living with her, “Mickey’s still my favorite,” she said about the African Grey. “He turned three in December.”

Cook has 12 to 13 species of birds originating from places such as Australia, Eastern Asia and Africa.

She knows a lot about their anatomy and how to treat the birds if they are sick.

She also offers free bird grooming.

Although she only takes in birds, Cook currently is looking for a home for kangaroo mice.

“They look like gerbils with long tails and they sit up a lot,” she explained.

They come with a cage and are free.

Cook said they are always looking for donations as well, ranging in food, Canadian Tire money and pet store gift certificates.

She is looking for a large cage as well.

To feed these birds, it costs Cook about $400 a month.

She said the community helps out a lot.

“We have two gentlemen from the Morton House make a lot of donations, so a big thanks to them” she noted.

Cook has received recognition for her efforts from the members of parliament last year, she added.

Reminding everyone to do their homework before purchasing a bird, Cook said “if you are dead set on a species, call me and I can either talk you out of it or we can decide if it’s the right one for that person.”

For more information call Diane Cook at 354-2955 or email perfectparrots@hotmail.com.