Why BBCR has specialised in this type of parrot

We have often been asked why we had decided to set up a rescue centre concentrating mainly on cockatoos. We do take in other species but it is cockatoos which are our priority and there are good reasons for this.

Cockatoos suffer most in captivity, they are the most misunderstood of parrots. Cockatoos are sensitive, emotional, highly intelligent, can be extrovert and require lots of stimulation. In the wild they are the acrobacts of the sky.

When cockatoos are hand reared, due to their charactor traits, they become very humanised. This is very appealing, what potential owners do not realise and are never told, is the commitment needed, they are taking on a child and like a child, that commitment should be for life, sadly this is not the case. The owner gets fed up and soon the cockatoo begins to feel neglected. Often the cockatoo will scream constantly for attention or it will become so frustrated it will feather pluck. Constant screaming leads to annoyance on the part of the owner and this is where problems begin - and it is not the fault of the bird.

Cockatoos and many other species suffer all forms of abuse, it is barbaric the way some people treat these innocent helpless creatures, who did not ask to be in captivity and would prefer not to be. It takes a special type of person to understand and commit to the personality traits of a cockatoo, especially the larger species. I do not believe cockatoos should be pets, this is my personal opinion based on 34 years of experience.

If cockatoos were parent reared they would cope much better, they would be psychologically better adjusted and not rely so heavily on human contact. In my opinion this is the best way forward for these emotional birds that suffer so badly at the hands of man, often through ignorance.They have become a money making business so often with no concern for the bird nor its future wellbeing.