After 16 years, a local bird sanctuary has outgrown itself.

  • Florida Exotic Bird Sanctuary moved from one acre to five acres of space
  • Bird Sanctuary takes in birds that were never meant to be domesticated

Florida Exotic Bird Sanctuary just finished getting nestled into its new location in Hudson. Previously located on a one acre lot in Wesley Chapel, the facility now sits on five acres.

Being the only animals that can talk back to you, exotic birds often seem like the perfect pet. But Patricia Norton, founder of Florida Exotic Bird Sanctuary says that’s the problem: these birds are not supposed to be in a home or in a small cage.

“These guys are exotic animals they are never meant to be domesticated,” said Norton.

Norton went on to say that more and more people seem to be recognizing the true nature of these birds, and have been surrendering  their exotic birds once adopted as pets to the Sanctuary.
 
“We have taken in another -- just in less than a year -- another 200 parrots, so we’re up to 700 plus,” said Norton. "We've had people fly in birds from as far as Puerto Rico [and] Alaska."

With so many coming in, the nonprofit has hundreds of parrots waiting for large flight aviaries. They also have need of extra hands.

Volunteers are a huge part of the Sanctuary's operation, as they need the help with, among other things, feeding all the birds. Feeding can take, on any given day, about five hours.

"I love going in the flight cage," said volunteer Jodi Garrison. "It's my favorite place to be."

To Norton and the staff at Florida Exotic Bird Sanctuary, volunteers are just as important as donations. The facility is now raising month so that all the birds have room to fly free, and to just be birds.

"The goal ... is to continue building flight aviaries, to put compatible birds together," said Norton.

The sanctuary is currently going through the permit process to give public tours. Its planning a soft opening this fall. For more information, visit flabirdsanctuary.com, or to make a donation to their efforts, visit their GoFundMe page.

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