Planned Parrothood

"Last year we took in 160 birds, and placed 35," Marc figures. "Yeah, that's a bad ratio. But, right now, the people who are applying to adopt a bird are the same people who bring them in."

Marc gives the birds away for free, but finding potential adoptive parents who live up to Marc's exacting standards is not easy. Marc carefully screens prospective parrot owners, ruling out anyone under 25 years of age, anyone with a 9-to-5 job, cat-owners, owners of some types of dogs, etc. One caller asked for a bird to match the décor of a newly renovated room.

Marc requires all applicants to volunteer at Foster Parrots to expose them to the noise, mess and attention-seeking demands parrots make. At the same time, volunteers can also see for themselves the sad consequences of impulsive pet ownership. Marc hopes volunteering will also discourage people who might plan to breed the birds for profit.

"We have a strong anti-breeding stance," he explains as he slices up apples for the birds, carefully removing the seeds. "Years ago, dogs were in this position. The media exposed puppy mills, but now we're making the same mistakes with birds."

		Marc serves up a mid-day snack.

More than lax owners, more than shortsighted breeders, Marc faults the pet trade industry for deceptively marketing the ever-growing number of unwanted parrots.

"The pet trade packages birds as a convenient pet," says Marc. "Pet stores make you think tidy pellets are enough for birds. They don't tell you you'll be cleaning sweet potatoes off the wall."

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