Scene in S.B.
Feathered Friends
“Having a bird is a really deep commitment; people don’t realize that they’ve bit off more than they can chew. There really is an epidemic of unwanted birds these days,” said Jamie McLeod director of the Santa Barbara Bird Sanctuary in Summerland. McLeod used to breed and sell birds but soon realized that there was more of a need to rehome them. The nonprofit aims to rescue, rehabilitate, and provide education about bird ownership. In November 2014, the sanctuary was featured in the PBS documentary Parrot Confidential.
One very special rescue bird, Doodle , a Moluccan cockatoo, was left outside the Santa Barbara zoo with a note that read, “Please help me.” She had plucked out many of her feathers, due to unbalanced hormones and had even chewed a hole through her chest. The Sanctuary took her in, and a volunteer, who was retired from the Ventura police force, sewed her some snazzy protective Kevlar digs. She is now well adjusted and happily living out her d
