TGF Xmas message & Update

[gbird]

Starring Julie Murad (Founder) as Santa Clause

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The Gabriel Foundation December 14, 2007
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-- A Gift of Love
-- The Gift of Remembrance
-- The Gift of Laughter


Dear Friends of The Gabriel Foundation,

Thank you for your donations which support the parrots and programs of The Gabriel Foundation. In the eleven years since the Foundation began, we have dedicated our resources to emphasize and promote parrot welfare worldwide.

We face ever increasing demands for our services. Close to 250 parrots came under our direct care in 2007. Less than 25% of these birds came with any financial support to assist with their care. YOUR DONATIONS helped us provide for the continued welfare of these birds.

Because of your continued generosity, nearly 450 birds reside at the Aviary and Adoption Center with the highest standards of care available. We can only continue to provide for the flock at the Aviary and Adoption Center with your help. More than 90% of our operating revenue comes from donations like yours. Eighty-four cents out of every dollar raised in 2006 went directly to the parrots and programs of The Gabriel Foundation.

Help Us Grow

To be successful for future decades, TGF must distinguish itself. We believe that our mission and purpose stands above the rest. At this time of year, The Gabriel Foundation thanks you for your continued efforts to change the world - one parrot at a time.

You can make that important year-end donation to The Gabriel Foundation now. For whatever reason you choose to make your gift, your holidays will be richer for it.

Thank you for your steadfast support.

With warmest wishes,
Julie Weiss Murad
CEO, President and Founder


A Gift of Love


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Clive, a sad, terribly abused and feather-plucked female wild caught Patagonian conure was dropped off at a vet's office to be put to death over 10 years ago. Why? The owners thought that she was so ugly that no one would want her.

They were wrong and the vet sent her to us. Clive joined a small flock of Patagonians for a couple of years. Then, she was adopted out to a family that had rescued Leaf, another female Patagonian, with a similar history.

Six years later, a death in the family necessitated that Clive and Leaf return to us. Leaf passed away this fall from severe cardiac disease. We were worried about Clive's health because her history had caught up with her. Arthritis, gout and advancing age made her an unlikely candidate for a new home.

When one of our fabulous volunteers told us that he wanted to adopt a special needs bird, Clive immediately came to mind. When he heard Clive's story it was clear that this was the bird he wanted to help. After holding Clive, gently wrapped in a towel, and seeing her contentment, the deal was sealed. Clive gets a second chance in a loving home for the remainder of her life.

Despite the torture that Clive suffered at the hands of humans, somehow she has not lost all trust in them. When gently wrapped in a towel, she somehow is able to forget her fear of human hands and genuinely enjoys being cuddled and caressed. At 21 years old, this sweet little bird has given humans a second chance.



The Gift of Remembrance


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To honor of the lives of the birds and friends of TGF that have passed away this year, your end of year end gift provide a lasting memory in their honor. These lives remain in our hearts and thoughts. The lories that remain with us have been thriving in their species' room, flights and specialized diets.

On January 8, 2008, we will be present at the sentencing hearing of their previous owner who was charged with 2 counts of animal cruelty. We ache for the terrible injustices that all wild caught birds experienced before importation ceased in 1992.

From their cruel capture in the wild, to the crating and shipping to overseas quarantine stations, to surviving the horrors of quarantine before the WBCA (Wild Bird Conservation Act) ended importation, only to be auctioned off and dispersed into breeding or retail situations and a life in captivity, many of these birds are now senior psittacines.

For the many wild caught parrots that have become part of TGF's flock, these birds have been given a chance to thrive through your kindness and support.
Click here to make an end-of-the-year donation to The Gabriel Foundation

https://www.thebirdbrain.com/forms/donation.cfm


The Gift of Laughter


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Norman is a special mascot for The Gabriel Foundation. Wild caught, close to forty years old, blind in one eye and extremely limited vision in the other - Norman brings joy to everyone who makes his acquaintance. He has been with us for more than a decade after abandonment at a Colorado veterinary clinic.

Norman endured a severe sinus pseudomonas bacterial infection traveled the optic nerve and caused the resulting blindness. He is the recipient of multiple surgeries in attempts to improve his condition. With a lengthy history of poor husbandry, his immune system was weakened, and he was diagnosed with the 6th genotype of the avian papilloma virus by Dr. Darrel Styles at Texas A&M.

Norman came to us with a repertoire of barn animal sounds. His porcine "Oink, oink" brings giggles from everyone. When asked, he quacks like a duck, clucks like a chicken and barks like a dog. He even uses my voice when we take him to school events. When Norman begins his cat imitations, adults and children are astonished at the variety and depth of his meows. We invariable are asked why he learned to sound like a cat. Our answer is always the same, "He had a cat scan!"

As an organization devoted entirely to the welfare of parrots, The Gabriel Foundation is a truly unique resource for parrots living in captivity and struggling to survive in the wild. We are all counting on you!



Contact Information
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email: mail@thegabrielfoundation.org
phone: 303.629.5900
web: The Gabriel Foundation®
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[swanwillow]

I go on their site occasionally for updates on the lories, but there doesn't seem to ever be that many.

[Nazir's]

We invariable are asked why he learned to sound like a cat. Our answer is always the same, "He had a cat scan!"

HAHAHHA!!! These babies are all adorable and special in their own little ways. I hate that they have had such horrible starts.

[birdlady49]

Originally Posted by swanwillow

I go on their site occasionally for updates on the lories, but there doesn't seem to ever be that many.

As you can see, the court date is January 8th. Maybe I'll go. I knew the woman who originally owned the lories. She used to be the go-to person for lories. Then she apparently went off the deep end.

[swanwillow]

yeah, I heard about it on one of the lory lists I'm on in yahoo. It sounds VERY sad. I almost think she should ALMOST be found not guilty, just because it fell apart.. but then I think to myself 'she should have found them homes when it got to be too much'

well, I do hope that the remaining lories do well in their recovery!

[gbird]

I see the Lories once a week if not more. The remaining baby's are doing really well. They give them a specialized diet of fruit necture mostly.

I'll try and get pics next time I go.