Parrots lost one of their staunchest advocates this week, Wendy Huntbatch, founder of the World Parrot Refuge in Canada. She was relentless in her determination to make a difference; and for hundreds of parrots she has been their provider, ally, joy and savior.

Emphatic & passionate!

Back in the late 90’s, when I was initially inspired to create an organization for parrots, Wendy was the first to respond to my inquiries and offer to help. She was always positive, encouraging and compassionate. She gave much of her time to me freely, sharing her thoughts and all the lessons she had learned. While we ultimately opted to set up an adoption program for parrots instead of creating a sanctuary, she continued to offer ideas, advice and solid moral support up through her final days.

In 2002, Wendy joined the Phoenix Landing Board of Directors, and we could always count on her for a lively discussion. Did we agree on everything? Of course not, we are all individuals with our own experiences and ideas. Did she do what she thought was best for parrots? Without a doubt, each and every single time!

Wendy Huntbatch, Stewart Metz and Ann Brooks at the World Parrot Refuge, 2010

Wendy introduced me to some of the most devoted, articulate and solicitous people in the world of parrots, such as Dr. Stewart Metz and Rosemary Low.  I am so grateful to her for including me in her parrot welfare network, making it possible for us to actually move forward in our own work.  I owe her a deep debt of gratitude for her generosity of spirit.

Most importantly, Wendy was a fierce and loyal friend, and I can only hope she knew I felt the same for her. Her absence already feels unbearable – but her spirit, her dedication and her unwavering passion will burn in my heart and work with parrots each and every day.
Ann Brooks, Phoenix Landing

Wendy Huntbatch was a pioneer, starting parrot rescue (1993) before most of us knew there were parrots who needed rescuing. Each one of her parrots was loved as if they were children in her home

I was immensely proud to be invited to be a guest speaker (along with Rosemary Low) to the opening of the new facility — I must say that she employed many excellent features such as flight between whole trees, enrichment, even the ability for some parrots to walk through a hole and go outside for a (safe) short walk -and the birds looked great.

Oh, the look on Wendy’s face when she showed off her birds to visitors! Few knew that Wendy suffered from TWO terrible, debilitating illnesses but she never let them stop her crusade to help needy parrots–yes, she was a Crusader and a Lovely Lady at the same time. Will we miss her — YES, very much.  Will the parrots miss her — more than they can ever know.
Stewart Metz, M.D.
Founder and Associate Director, Indonesian Parrot Project
www.indonesian-parrot-project.org

I first met Wendy in 1997. In 2000, on a trip to Costa Rica with her and her husband Horst, I got to know her well and to understand her drive and passion for parrots. I visited her in Canada on three occasions, each time being amazed at her parrot rescue initiatives. Wendy died on February 3 after a long battle against cancer and a debilitating lung disease.

Rosemary Low at WPR in 2010

She was the most remarkable person, totally dedicated to parrots. She lived to give a good life to as many as possible after they had been abandoned by their owners. To see her working with these birds, in the huge aviaries Horst had built for them, was an inspiration. Her strength and bravery during the past five years while tolerating very serious illnesses and treatments were heroic. Her fund-raising efforts to keep the sanctuary running were extraordinary.

Everyone who knew Wendy admired her untiring dedication, her patience and compassion, especially with the special needs birds, and her determination, often in the face of great difficulties. The parrot world has lost a unique and irreplaceable lady. If you want to help to ensure that her work continues, please donate to the sanctuary via the website: www.worldparrotrefuge.org
Rosemary Low
Curator, Author and Lifelong Devoted Parrot Lover

Guest Post by Patricia Sund

Well, I’m not sure. What I am sure of is my commitment to the field of birds. I have a soft place in my heart for parrot rescues in general, but Phoenix Landing has always been by far, my favorite. I met Ann Brooks, in 2005 at the NEI Advanced Parrot Training program in Lake Whales, Florida We sat in the third to the last row on the right-hand side in the tent that served as a classroom.

I was in awe of Ann and all of these people in the class that had already established rescues, or they had their own bird related businesses. I had one bird, my African Grey, Parker and I wanted to learn to train him properly. That was my only reason for attending.

I had no idea that years later, I’d be writing about this business of birds: running around the country to experience life as a Zoo Keeper, a staff member at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, or simply reporting the goings-on at the Houston Parrot Festival.

I began my own blog (http://parrotnation.com/) and it has been happily chugging along for almost three years. The blog has caught on and a post I did about Phoenix Landing a while back still gets hits.

At the end of November, I received an email from Quark Expeditions about a blogging contest. The contest, Called “Blog Your Way to the North Pole” is a writing contest. The winner of the Contest is awarded a trip for two to the North Pole through Helsinki, Finland to Murmansk, Russia, and then on to board a nuclear-powered ice breaker expedition vessel to the North Pole which will take between four and eight days. So I entered the contest with the idea that if my entry won, it could raise awareness of Parrot rescues and nonprofit aviculture related foundations.

This trip is rough, long and cold. I live in Florida, so this will be an uncomfortable trip for me. It would not be a glamorous journey. It crosses 8 time zones so I am sure the jet lag would be brutal. It could possibly involve getting seasick. It’s on a nuclear powered vessel and I could come back glowing for all I know. I’ll have to take time off from work, get a Russian Visa, and the packing is probably going to be very complicated. But this doesn’t matter to me because I’d be doing it for something much bigger than me. It’s not about me, it’s about the birds, and as far as I know, I am the only entrant that has a shot who has an interest in birds.

To win, you have to get people to vote for you. A lot of people. If you get enough votes to be in the top five, a committee, including the president of Quark Expeditions and a professional travel blogger will judge the top five and the entry considered the best wins the trip.

There is only one vote per person. You can’t vote every day like you can with other contests. So, in order to win, I must get enough people give me their one vote.

So I am asking for your vote. I am asking that not only you vote, but that you ask your family, friends and anyone you know with an email address to vote for my entry.

How could this possibly help birds? It can and I think it will. Along with the publicity of the contest, the person going to the Pole on the trip has to write about it as they travel. Obviously, my personality, my interests and my passions would be coming out in the pieces as I write. The fact that I am a writer in the field of birds will obviously come up. Traffic to my blog would increase and I have so many links to wonderful websites that benefit birds including Phoenix Landing. I’m hoping this will enlighten other people about some of the foundations and non-profits that I love and respect.

If my entry wins, I want to make a feather scarf and wear it to the pole, return with it and auction it off, all proceeds going to Phoenix Landing. I have other ideas that could benefit Phoenix Landing, as well as the Alex Foundation and other bird related non-profits. But I have to win first. Here is the link to the Quark Expeditions Blogging contest:

http://www.blogyourwaytothenorthpole.com/entries/94

The current title of my entry is “Santa’s Sleigh Needs a Flight Attendant.”

It only takes about a minute to vote.

I thank you so much for helping someone who loves birds go to the North Pole and I thank you for your vote.

With Respect,
Patricia Sund