On 01 October 2020, Cheeky Beaks Parrot Rescue will have its first anniversary. On this day we have fostered and rehomed 200 parrots. More than we initially anticipated to have done in just one year. I never saw myself as a bird person or ever had any interest in keeping parrots. For my 21st birthday, I received a young Green Cheek Conure. As a first-time bird owner, I didn’t even know his species. I am a person that prides myself in knowing all I can about a subject and doing as much research as possible. I went to YouTube, Facebook Groups, Google and read books to learn more about proper parrot care and how to handle my companion Sammy. However, I noticed that – compared to the USA and European countries – our knowledge about parrot husbandry and general standard of care
for parrots was very much lacking. I made a group called “Parrot Owners South Africa” to share my knowledge and experience with other like-minded individuals. As our group grew, I noticed more people enquiring about adopting or rehoming parrots. I noticed that there were no services like this in Gauteng or other provinces – just sanctuaries, or people had to sell on Gumtree/classifieds. This can be dangerous, as these animals can be purchased by individuals without the necessary knowledge or resources, leading to years of neglect for the animal. My conure, Sammy, needed a friend for when I was at university. I researched sanctuaries and contacted them. None of them had Green Cheeked Conures available for adoption, so I ended up buying a baby from a breeder. I knew if I had the right contacts, I would have rather adopted one, but there was no such service or group on Facebook. Shortly after that, a friend wanted to rehome a Senegal. I didn’t know of anyone who could take such a difficult bird in, so I adopted her instead. Months later, Charlie is the sweetest companion, but at that time I wasn’t exactly the owner she needed. So,
I had to adapt and work with her daily to create an environment she could thrive in. All these small events lead to me thinking about what service I could provide to the South African parrot community. It was clear that education, rehabilitation and rescue was still a necessity. I started my registration at CIPC but needed two directors. I had my own money and the name Cheeky Beaks ready. So I searched for others to join my mission. My second-in-command would be a quirky artist from Cape Town. Her red hair and red Eclectus parrot was memorable. I noticed her vast knowledge of parrot care and knew she had the kind heart an animal rescuer needed. Nicola Roos’s positive attitude and hard work convinced me of my decision. At first, Nicola and I worked as Cheeky Beaks without registering as an NPC. We knew, however, it was necessary to register our company. We needed a third director to be able to register as an NPC. I remember watching a video of a YouTuber who made a video about Senegals. That helped me tremendously to understand Charlie. I saw her YouTube and Instagram and knew Danielle Haupt had the necessary knowledge of parrots and dedication to aid us in our mission. I contacted her and she agreed to join us. When we made our Facebook page and had our registration ready, we were receiving minimal surrenders. We would have one or two parrots to rehome weekly, if we were lucky. Soon the numbers started climbing. We got more work and more home checks to conduct. As the rescue grew, we needed to add some
one to help with our finances and admin. Kimberlee Ann Selby (from Pietermaritzburg) ended up helping us with this and also adopted four parrots from us. Even though Kimberlee has since taken a step back from assisting with rehomings, she has also established her own small business, New Leaf Parrot Collars, which provides handmade anti-plucking collars and jerseys – and expert advice about how to understand and manage feather destructive behaviour – to the South African parrot community.
Danielle (from Port Elizabeth) used her creativity and organizational skills to launch a merchandise line that helped raise funds for our rescue efforts and spread awareness of our mission. Our mission is simple: To help people rehome pet parrots safely and to the best possible family, while educating the public on proper husbandry and helping our fellow sanctuaries.
We were lucky enough to receive a logo rebranding, a full website and hosting sponsored by AOLC and designed by Blue Pixel Studio. The website enables us to receive online applications much easier and minimize our administration tasks. The logo also helped our Facebook and business look much more professional and personal.
Our biggest rescue to date was in the Western Cap
e province where we collected over 36 parrots from an estate of a man who passed away in late 2010. There were Eclectus, African Greys, Sun Conures, Cockatoos and Indian Ringnecks. This rescue was handled by Nicola Roos and couldn’t have been such a massive success if we didn’t work with Center for Avian, Reptiles and Exotics (CARE), especially Dr Coetzee de Beer. We also became official partners with this exemplary veterinary practice. Furthermore, were fortunate enough to be able to send ex-breeder 20 Indian Ringnecks to Birds Of Eden in Plettenberg Bay after much dedication from our vet and Cape Town team/volunteers. Shortly after this, our team grew even more and Lauren Allan, Marianka Meiring – who runs the wonderful local parrot enrichment supplies small business “Toys By Cockatoo Jewel” – and Bianca Pretorius (all from Cape Town), as well as Inge Hauptfleisch (from Gauteng), came on board. We are now also able to assist parrot owners with in-person and virtual consultations to guide them with training and offering personalised advice about improving cage setups and enrichment opportunities for their birds.
Our rescue has grown so much in just a year and I expect us to become much larger in our second year of operation. Here’s to helping more birds and reaching more keen minds along the way. Our past successes, lessons learnt and friends we gained are certainly paving the way to a very exciting new phase for Cheeky Beaks. Lots of Love and Gratitude -Anya Marais
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