SECOND PARROT FOUND SHOT WITH BB GUN

October 4, 2014 (Jamul)--For the second time in several months, SoCal Parrot in East County is caring for a wild parrot that has been victim of a pellet gun.

At approx. 7 p.m. on Monday, September 29^th, SoCal Parrot’s Emergency Hotline rang with a report from an Imperial Beach resident that a wild parrot was injured in his front yard. He believed it to have been shot with a pellet gun. A SoCal Parrot Animal Care Coordinator, along with a trained Parrot Care Volunteer arrived on scene shortly after a Chula Vista Animal Control Officer arrived. 

This Yellow-headed Amazon had a traumatic injury to the left wing. The parrot was transported to the SoCal Parrot Sanctuary & Rehab Facility in Jamul - where it received a thorough exam followed by stabilizing care, pain medication and overnight monitoring. 

Dr. Todd Cecil of Pet Emergency & Specialty Center evaluated the parrot using digital radiographs the next day. These radiographs show two metal projectiles in the parrot’s body and multiple bone fractures in the left wing. Dr. Cecil and SoCal Parrot will continue to monitor the bird’s condition and evaluate surgical options, though it is not likely that this bird will ever be a candidate for release back into the wild. Radiographs, photos and video’s available for you to view here.

SoCal Parrot is a nonprofit with a mission is to bridge the gap of care and consideration for wild, naturalized parrots and is the only local organization working to help protect these endangered parrots that - while suffering in their native habitats in Mexico, are thriving in Southern California. The Yellow-headed Amazon is one of 13 species that has naturalized in Southern California and it is considered to be an endangered species by International Union for Conservation of Nature, making the importance of each individual wild bird of enormous value to its species future in the wild.