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Dear Friends,
Over the past few months, Feathered Friends Sanctuary & Rescue has made significant changes to protect our volunteers and visitors from the current pandemic; that meant closing our doors to potential adopters and the general public in March.
A huge part of our mission is finding loving forever homes for the parrots under our care. It's been difficult to put that part of our mission on hold. But it has been necessary to protect our staff and others, some of whom are at higher risk from COVID-19.
Beginning the first weekend in June, we will start a limited re-opening of our sanctuary for in-person adoption appointments. As is our normal policy, these visits are by appointment only. Please do not come to the sanctuary without a confirmed appointment and please don't call or email us expecting to schedule an appointment as we will not be able to do that at this time. We will also be scheduling fewer appointments and implementing some extra safety precautions, which are detailed below.
*At this time, we will only be scheduling appointments for people who are truly serious and ready to adopt a bird. Only those with completed adoption questionnaires will be contacted for an appointment. These questionnaires can be found on our website at feathered-friends.com . We will be contacting people for appointments in the order questionnaires are received, beginning with questionnaires received in March. We feel this is the only fair way to re-open to potential adopters. If you would like a tour or if you are curious about meeting the birds, unfortunately you will need to wait a while longer until things settle down. Likewise, when we do schedule appointments, young children will not be allowed at this time, only 1 or 2 people (over 14 years old) will be allowed at each appointment.
*We have been asking all of our volunteers to wear masks for weeks. We will be requiring the same of our visitors. Visitors will be required to bring and wear a cloth or disposable mask over their nose and mouth while at the sanctuary, as well as social distance from our staff. If you aren't able to wear a mask, or you disagree with our decision to require masks, please stay home.
* We have recently purchased a non-contact infrared thermometer. All people entering the sanctuary will be scanned for a possible fever upon entering the sanctuary. Any people showing signs of a fever (temperature of 100 degrees or above) or other symptoms of illness, will be asked to leave and will need to reschedule an appointment in the future. Again, if you disagree with our decision to require a temperature check, please stay home.
*Finally and most importantly, if you feel sick or think you may be getting sick, PLEASE stay home. If someone in your home is sick, PLEASE stay home. If you think you have been exposed to someone who is sick, PLEASE do not come to the sanctuary.
Please be patient as we work through all of this. We promise we will get to everyone, and are looking forward to meeting you and hopefully finding a bird that fits perfectly into your family. Thank you so much for your support!
Next trim session is August 9th See below for details
Bird of the Month
Bart is a somewhat mischievous but generally genial and very animated blue & gold macaw. She--yes, Bart has laid eggs--loves attention and loves to interact with people. Bart likes to dance and adores physical mimicry games. Please don't let the missing feathers fool you--like many birds with FDB (feather destructive behavior), Bart is a positively amazing bird. Because she is a very friendly, intelligent and loving parrot, she can be very negatively impacted by loneliness and boredom. This beautiful young macaw would love the opportunity to show you her dance moves, so please contact FFSR to schedule an appointment to meet Bart!
VOLUNTEER
Volunteers are the life blood of any non-profit organization, but are especially important to us and our birds for numerous reasons. If you're interested in In-Shelter Care of Birds, Education and Outreach at stores and events, or serving on a Special Events planning committee, please contact us today! We need you!
CARETAKER NEEDED
We are looking for an organized, outgoing, and responsible individual who has great people skills and will provide good customer service for all who come to the sanctuary. You will live on-site at the caretaker residence and manage the day to day care of the birds in a fast-paced environment. This is a position that requires you to be on your feet for at least 30 hrs per week and be available 24/7 when needed. The caretaker position requires experience with parrots is a must and is not for the faint of heart. You will be in close contact with the Board of Directors, be responsible for daily interaction with potential adopters, customers, and volunteers, as well as answering phone calls, and doing appointments with potential adopters, and. The job also own requires a reliable vehicle for taking the birds to vet appointments and events that are outside of the sanctuary.
If this is something you think you would be good at, please send your resume and cover letter to mybirdlife@aol.com, or send to:
Feathered Friends Sanctuary & Rescue
1570 County Road A, Edgerton, WI 53534.
Serious inquires only, please.
Considering Adoption?
10 things you need to know before adopting a parrot
EVENTS
SALE SALE SALE SALE!!!
August 22 & 23, 11am-3pm
We are having a sale on bird supplies that we can't use or don't have the room for. This sale will be a great time for you to find items for your birds and help raise money for FFSR. For sale will be cages, food dishes, play stands, carriers/travel cages, cage trays, and anything else that we come up with. Most things are in great condition, but some will need a good cleaning or some TLC for you DIYers. The pricing of items will be donation based (reasonable), so come to get good deals and help the sanctuary. Please come ready to take your items home that day. The sale will be outside in the front of the sanctuary, but we ask that you still wear a mask and social distance as much as possible. We hope to see you!
Trim Session
We are resuming trim sessions beginning Sunday, August 9th with some new (hopefully temporary) precautions. The trim session will be held between 11:30 - 2:30. Please call or text Dani to schedule your appointment at (608) 516-4529
NEW PROCEDURE:
We are asking everyone to wear a mask and bring their birds in a travel cage or carrier. Once you arrive for your appointment, please text or call Dani to let us know you're here. Once we give you the ok, please bring your bird to the door and return to your vehicle. We will immediately bring your bird inside for the trim and return your bird just outside the door once finished. We will text or call you just before we're about to return your bird outside the door. You may then pick your bird up.
We will be checking volunteer temperatures prior to accepting any birds for the day and all volunteers will be wearing masks. All tools, equipment, and hands will be sanitized and disinfected between each bird that has a trim appointment. This is to ensure the safety of you, your birds, and our volunteers.
Donations are not required but greatly appreciated. COVID-19 has required us to postpone any visitation appointments or adoptions. We rely heavily on the generosity of volunteers and donations to provide the best possible care for the birds. Any amount you can give helps us to be able to continue to help the birds. Items from our wish list are equally appreciated. We are so thankful for all of you who care as deeply as we do for the wellbeing of these wonderful birds.
If you would like to schedule an appointment, please call or text Dani at (608) 516-4529
Feathered Friends
1570 County Road A
Edgerton, WI 53534
Tel 608-302-1732
PLEASE NOTE:
We are open to the public by appointment only. Please call to schedule an appointment at least 24-48 hours in advance.
Wild bird needs help?
Please contact the Wildlife Center of Dane County at (608) 287-3235 or click here:
https://www.giveshelter.org/wildlife-center