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Issue 3: July 2004

Midwest Avian Adoption & Rescue Services marked its fifth anniversary this spring, and is busier than ever! Since April 1999, MAARS has cared for more captive exotic birds than any shelter or sanctuary in the country! On any given day, the MAARS shelter and sanctuary, The Landing, is home to between 200 and 250 birds of every size, shape, color, and species.

MAARS is committed to providing exceptional medical care to each bird who passes through our doors. Upon arriving at MAARS, each bird undergoes strict quarantine and testing protocols and receives treatment for any medical condition. Most of the birds who find themselves at MAARS have never received any medical care. Many suffer from malnutrition, dermatitis, bacterial or fungal infections, and chronic health conditions. On average, MAARS spends $1,000 dollars per month on veterinary procedures, testing, and supplies for our feathered friends.

The old saying, "You are what you eat," is as true for birds as it is for humans. A healthy, varied, and balanced diet is fundamental to superior avian care. The MAARS flock feasts on high-quality pellets, human food-grade seed, nut, and vegetable mixes, and an assortment of fresh vegetables, fruit, beans, and grains. Approximately $700 a month is spent on food and groceries for the birds at The Landing.

And when they are not eating, bathing or socializing, every MAARS bird has plenty of toys to amuse, challenge, and comfort them. With a flock that usually includes a dozen Cockatoos and two or three large Macaws as well as many medium and small-sized parrots, the cost of toys can exceed $200 a month.

MAARS Needs Your Help NOW!

Since the spring of 1999, MAARS has cared for approximately 1,200 birds and currently takes in an average of more than one bird each day, many of whom have never been out of their cages. Sixty Volunteer staff working twelve shifts per week tend to the daily needs of approximately 200–250 birds at our Minneapolis/St. Paul area facility, The Landing, providing safe, clean housing, veterinary care, a nutritious diet, and environmental enrichment. On average, it costs MAARS $1.00 per bird per day to meet these basic care requirements and run the organization.

MAARS' resources are limited — there is little extra space at The Landing and even less extra money in the bank. MAARS relies on your donations to provide the very best to birds in need — and that number continues to grow; as of June 15, 2004, MAARS intakes were being scheduled for October 2004. With help from supporters like you, every bird will have a safe place to land and a flock to call its own.

Below you can read about just a few of the birds who call The Landing home: Candy, the wild-caught Moluccan Cockatoo who needed emergency surgery; Lurch & Patrick, a Blue-crowned and Nanday Conure pair who met and became close friends at MAARS; and Frank & Frances, a Cockatiel pair in permanent sanctuary at The Landing.

You Can Help Birds Like…

Candy

At one time, Candy, a Moluccan Cockatoo, flew free in the forests of Indonesia. She foraged for food, roosted in trees, bathed with rainwater, and called to her flock. Perhaps she had a mate and nurtured and raised their chicks. Or maybe she was merely a fledgling when she was ripped from her world and thrown into ours. [More…]

Lurch & Patrick

Lurch, a Blue-crowned Conure, was captured in the wild and lived for twenty-five years in the same home with his lifelong companion. They did not receive the best of care, by any standards, yet their lives were made tolerable by the love and company of a special friend. When illness struck both of them, Lurch's companion died and Lurch — very sick himself — was taken to a shelter that asked MAARS to take him in. Everything Lurch had ever loved and known had been taken away from him. [More…]

Frank & Frances

Cockatiels Frank & Frances have been together for a very long time. They were rescued by MAARS from deplorable conditions in November 2000 along with their flock of almost fifty other Cockatiels. Due to chronic health concerns, Frank & Frances were placed on permanent sanctuary status at The Landing. Their days have been spent amongst friends, never far from each other's sides, socializing, preening, and chatting. [More…]

Join the MAARS Flock Today…and Be the Wind Beneath Their Wings!

The MAARS Annual Membership Program gives you and our other loyal MAARS Supporting Flock Members the opportunity to help MAARS on an ongoing, sustaining basis. Your annual financial contribution will allow us to continue to provide and expand our valuable rescue, intake, care, veterinary and behavioral evaluation and treatment, adoption, sanctuary, outreach, and educational services for the displaced captive birds who we meet and the people whose lives they touch.

With so little, you can do so much to change the lives of birds like Candy, Lurch & Patrick, and Frank & Frances. On average, it takes $1.00 per day to care for each MAARS bird. Every small donation makes a big difference, and big donations help even more. Your participation in the MAARS Annual Membership Program will help save and improve the lives of hundreds of parrots and other displaced captive birds.

Join MAARS today! Give them shelter! Ease their pain! Stop the cycle! And know that you made one corner of the world a better place for another living creature!

Mail Your Membership Donation

Mail a check or money order made out to "MAARS" to: MAARS, 1360 University Ave W #347, St. Paul, MN 55104.

Join Securely Online

MAARS accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, checks, money orders, and PayPal through our online MAARStore.

Click here for more information on the MAARS Annual Membership Program!

Midwest Avian Adoption & Rescue Services, Inc., is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (Federal ID# 41-1944074) and is registered with the Office of the Secretary of State and the Office of the Attorney General of Minnesota as a charitable organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

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