Dinky is the one on the left, Lucky Lou is his best buddy. Dinky was wild-caught many years ago as a young bird and that was when both his wings were broken along with one leg. Though 80% of wild-caught parrots perish during the capture and shipping to Canada, Dinky hung on to life! Only to be confined to a pet-parrot breeding facility for the next several decades. Dinky is now totally blind and I don't know when or how that happened. Most parrots in captivity are suffering from some (often subtle) form of malnutrition as we just don't have the same food for them as they would eat in the wild. Maybe it was related to that?
When Dinky was "used up" as a breeder, he ended up at the refuge where Wendy Huntbatch had to make the difficult choice whether to keep the little guy caged the rest of his life "for his own good" or let him regain some freedom during his declining years. She opted for freedom. Dinky knows every nook and cranny in the small elevated table and climbing branches where he hangs out with a few good buddies. Still he will occasionally take a nasty tumble to the concrete floor below and have to be treated for shock. This happens from time to time with all the flight-disabled birds. As well as not having flight, these birds also have balance issues due to the lack of healthy wings. But they still have instincts that say climb higher for safety and when necessary, jump and fly!
Despite all this, Dinky is doing fine. He gladly takes the spoon-feeding the refuge offers each evening as a way of ensuring birds like Dinky are well fed. He is bold and confident in his little world, despite his problems. I can only admire and honour the strength of spirit and courage contained within this frail little body.
Like so many parrots at the refuge, Dinky Doo is my favorite!
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