WAYS TO GIVE

Frankie is one of TGF’s long time residents who came to us in July 1998 from an animal abandonment case in Marble, CO.

Julie received a call – the landlord wanted to know if we could come get the birds, cats and dogs that a tenant left outside when evicted from their rental in the high and narrow valley outside of Aspen, in a hamlet of a town called Marble. The evening before, snow had fallen on the birds who had been left outside. 

Julie and a staff member responded to the call, and when they arrived on site, found four baby lovebirds, eyes still closed, four parent birds, three baby cockatiels, a Pionus, and a Green cheek conure. Two basset hounds and several kittens were yowling with hunger. 

Continue reading to learn the fate of the Marble flock, and find out why Frankie came to live - and love - at The Gabriel Foundation.

Show the lovebirds some love!

Once again, our volunteers stepped up and wowed us with their talent, hard work and dedication - on Saturday, July 17, at the Aviary and Adoption Center! Diane Henry and Loralee and Hayley Young worked tirelessly in the intense heat, removing weeds and cleaning up the outdoor flights. (At eight years old, Hayley is one of TGF’s youngest volunteers!)

Robert and Gaye Thomasson came armed with a sicklebar mower, a string mower, gas cans and a bucket of hand tools to tackle the interior of the two large flights. Weeds had overgrown to heights surpassing six feet, which could have created a dangerous situation for the large parrots that spend their days in those flights. All grasses and weeds were raked, pitchforked and removed. The surrounding areas were also mowed - including the enclosed walkways to the flights. With weeds cut to the ground, staff and volunteers can now get up close and personal with the birds on their daily well-being checks! 

The Gabriel Foundation will be having another Volunteer Work Day on Sunday, August 22, from 9am – noon, this time focusing on outdoor flight enrichment and, what else?   More weeding!  Contact Gaye, TGF Volunteer Coordinator at volunteers@thegabrielfoundation.org if you would like to help.

Visit our Volunteer page.

Check out Jaya and Delilah (pictured), or as they are affectionately known around here - "Buzzsaws with Feathers" - as they devour crab apple branches supplied by Kim Valentine while swinging on crape myrtle perches from Deb and Bob Allwein. Wood of all sorts is just a temporary diversion for these two, who are constantly "remodeling" their space - to the tune of ten feet of board a day!

The 41 remaining birds from the Pueblo rescue continue to be evaluated on their road to recovery, medically and behaviorally. Quarantine has ended and they have moved to spacious new quarters. How they enjoy every delectable morsel of food offered to them – wasting nothing.

We first and foremost consider the well being of each of these birds individually and as a flock. Because nearly all of the macaws have tested positive for the Psittacid Herpes Virus (PHV) it would be irresponsible of us to place any of these birds into a foster or adoptive home at the present time. PHV is contagious to other New World (South and Central America) birds and different genomes of the virus have been identified. Research has not yet fully determined just how the virus is transmitted from one bird to another, so a cautious approach is imperative. Although a few of the macaws have tested PHV negative, there is the possibility of a false negative so subsequent laboratory testing will take place in mid-May. Continue reading...

With heavy hearts we must share with you that Episode, a Blue and Gold macaw from the Pueblo Flock has passed away. Episode was lovingly sponsored by Yoko Fukada from Japan, proving that compassion has no borders. Click here to learn the sad result of years of neglect.

Visit the Pueblo Flock sponsorship page...

Check out our Donor Hall of Fame...

Watch this heartfelt tribute to ALL OF YOU who have done so much to help the helpless.