Featherless parrot ‘Steve’ on road to recovery at Essex Animal Sanctuary
Brentwood: A parrot who arrived at a sanctuary almost completely featherless and unable to fly is now showing signs of recovery, carers say.
The bird, named Steve by staff at Hopefield Animal Sanctuary in Brentwood, Essex, joined the shelter last week. He is currently in quarantine in the sanctuary’s office while staff monitor his condition.
General Manager Lianne Angliss told the BBC the cause of his feather loss is still unclear. “With rescue animals we never get to see the full picture but we are still looking into all the options,” she said.
Staff have not ruled out whether Steve pulled out his own feathers due to boredom, or if an illness is to blame. Despite a previous clean bill of health from his vet, the sanctuary said it is continuing to monitor him closely.
To keep him occupied, staff have built Steve a small gym with swings, a slide and toys. Angliss described him as “a cheeky and chatty bird” who appears to be thriving around people.
The sanctuary added that Steve’s feathers are already starting to regrow, and staff are optimistic for a full recovery.”Once he’s strong enough and able to fly again, our aim is for him to join some of the other rescued birds in one of our aviaries,” the sanctuary said.
