STRATHAM, New Hampshire — The staff at the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is calling for the public’s help with a parrot abandoned at the shelter on Friday morning.
Shelia Ryan, development director of the SPCA, said at approximately 10:30 a.m. on Friday, an SPCA staff member picked up a trash bag among items left to be donated to the shelter and found what she believed to be a blue-fronted Amazon parrot with tattered feathers. She said the bird was taken to the shelter’s in-house veterinarian, who determined the bird was not in immediate need of veterinary hospitalization.
Security camera footage showed a blonde woman in a dark-colored sedan dropping off just after 9 a.m. on Friday.
“We were deeply saddened that this beautiful bird was discarded in such an uncaring manner. Since it was nearly two hours before the adoption center opened, we are grateful that the bird didn’t suffocate inside that plastic bag,” said Lisa Dennison, executive director of the New Hampshire SPCA. “It is against New Hampshire law to abandon an animal like this. However, the NHSPCA is not seeking prosecution. We want to encourage the woman that brought the bird here to contact us so that we can provide better care.”
Ryan said the parrot, dubbed Mayday since it arrived, has not eaten and plucks its own feathers, which is a sign of distress. However, she said, without knowing details about the bird’s history, it is difficult to pinpoint what he eats and what the causes of stress are to get it to stop plucking its feathers. She said the feathers will all grow back, if the bird stops the plucking behavior.
Ryan said the SPCA would be taking the parrot to a bird specialist veterinarian on Monday.
“We don’t know the circumstances the bird came from, so sometimes a bird’s plucking behavior can be environmentally induced, but if it has been doing it for a long time, that can sometimes be a habitual behavior,” Ryan said. “We’re just looking for the basic information we ask when anyone brings an animal to us; what it eats, what’s its name, so we try to get as much information as we can so we can give animals the best quality care possible.”
Ryan said anyone who has information about Mayday can call the SPCA at (603) 772-2921 ext. 111. Donations to the SOS Fund can be made at nhspca.org or by phone at (603) 772-2921 ext. 120 or by mail: New Hampshire SPCA, PO Box 196, Stratham, NH 03885.