Help MAARS Take Flight!
MAARS needs your help to create a new sanctuary that provides space for flight. Your support is vital for giving the birds an environment that can better meet their unique needs than the current location.
MAARS needs your help to create a new sanctuary that provides space for flight. Your support is vital for giving the birds an environment that can better meet their unique needs than the current location.
Since the founding of MAARS in July 1999, almost 1500 unwanted parrots have come through our doors. More than 1400 birds have been successfully placed into permanent homes. We’ve consistently grown since then, all thanks to the helping hands of this amazing community!
Read MoreOur amazing team of regulars and part-time volunteers are committed to helping all captive parrots. We take our convictions and turn them into action. Think you would be a good fit? Get in touch for more information!
MAARS’ core function is to care for our flock at our facility, The Landing. Our primary mission is to educate the public, people who already live with parrots, and the veterinary community about the issues that face captive parrots.
They’re Not Living—They’re Surviving
In Part 2 of our conversation with Pete Paxton, undercover investigator, author, and advocate, Pete shares some of what has stayed with him most from his investigation inside a large-scale bird breeding operation.
He describes cockatoos who had severely plucked their own feathers, birds desperately seeking human attention, barren cages without enrichment, and dead birds discarded in a trash can. He also witnessed young birds separated from their families and crowded together under stressful conditions that led them to fight and injure one another.
These are intelligent, social animals with complex behavioral and emotional needs. Yet what Pete witnessed left little opportunity for them to express even the most basic parts of who they are.
As Pete puts it:
“They’re not really living. They’re just surviving.”
Go back and watch Part 1 of our conversation with Pete as we continue looking at what happens behind the scenes of the commercial bird trade—and why these conversations matter.
Birds deserve more than survival.
#MAARS #Parrots #Sanctuary #Cockatoos #Nonprofit
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If you'd like to support Bizzy, the fiery Goffin Cockatoo click the link here: www.maars.org/support-bizzy/
#MAARS #Parrots #Sanctuary #Cockatoos #Nonprofit
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Animals are not merchandise. They're individuals with their own needs, preferences, and capacity to suffer — and Petco has the power to lead the industry away from a model that treats them otherwise.Petco still sells live animals — reptiles, birds, small mammals, and fish — often sourced from breeding operations called mills with little to no oversight. 🐠🦎🐦
The reality behind the sale:
📦 Animals bought on impulse, not with the preparation their care actually requires
🏠 Kept in cramped, high-stress enclosures, prone to injury and illness from mishandling
🐟 Fish alone die in staggering numbers — both in-store and shortly after purchase
Animals are not merchandise. They're individuals with their own needs, preferences, and capacity to suffer — and Petco has the power to lead the industry away from a model that treats them otherwise.
We're calling on Petco to:
✅ End the in-store sale of all live animals
✅ Redirect that retail space toward shelter and rescue adoption partnerships
✅ Publicly commit to a timeline for the transition
✍️ Sign the petition at vfar.org/petco and tell Petco: stop selling live animals.
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Learn more about our upcoming events, fundraisers, and more!