Christmas 'Surprise', Animal Shelter In Michigan Receives Over 800 Parakeets

Parakeet illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Frank Vassen)

JAKARTA - An animal shelter in Michigan, United States faced an unusual Christmas surprise when a resident arrived with more than 497 parakeets crammed into 7 cages on December 23.

A team from the Detroit Animal Welfare Group came to the aid of the birds, who appeared to be struggling. They were smothered and some of them were so young that they needed hand-feeding, as they had been separated from their mothers.

Quoting Euronews, 28 December, the first surprise was just gone when three days later the same resident unloaded 339 more parakeets in the box, bringing the total number of parakeets handed over to 836.

The ill-treated birds reportedly came from a man, who said his father kept the birds in cages in one room of his house. To feed the birds for a month, he spent about 1,200 US dollars.

The shelter needs the help of four partner organizations to help the birdhouse. In addition, people flocked to offer assistance, care for, adopt and donate them, including sending food and cages.

Authorities say the parakeets will be available for adoption, but after first passing an examination by a designated veterinarian and declared healthy.

While the shelter underlined, having a parakeet means a commitment of 6-15 years. They need not only daily food, water and cage cleaning, but also daily interaction, enrichment and flight time.