Charity foundation launches at wildlife park to rehome parrots after their owners die

The late Doris Johnson pictured with her parrot Pepe.

The park, located in Friskney, launched the Doris Johnson Foundation earlier this month “to offer peace of mind to parrot owners who are not yet ready to rehome their bird, but would like something in place for if they are no longer able to take care of them.”

Parrots are intelligent birds, and often suffer emotionally after losing their owners - so need the specialist support at the park which has years of experience in caring for the birds. The site was previously called The Parrot Zoo – until expanding into a wildlife park several years ago.

The charity, The Parrot Zoo Trust, was set up in the early nineties and opened its doors in 2003 for the rehoming of parrots and parakeets to live out an enriching and natural lifestyle, from owners who have decided that their pets need more than they can offer.

A spokesperson for the park said: "The amount of calls from governing bodies, rescues, neighbours or family members who have suffered the sudden passing of a parrot owner and not known how to care for the parrot left behind, has become an increasing worry.

“The foundation came after a wonderful elderly lady named Doris Johnson left her beloved parrot Pepe behind after she had passed; but had a plan for him to be rehomed to the sanctuary in her will. She did not have family able to look after Pepe, so found herself in the predicament of not knowing what would happen to him when she was no longer around. Could he have gone into a bad environment? Would they know how to take care of him properly? This special lady’s contingency plan led us to the creation of the foundation, to help answer those questions.

“In addition to this, the membership is completely free, offering another huge weight off parrot owners' minds in the current climate of rising living costs.”

Since making the announcement about the Doris Foundation, Lincs Wildlife Park says it has already have received a high number of calls and emails requesting membership packs.

The centre is now recognised as one of the world leaders in rehoming parrots and boasts the largest collection of Bengal Tigers in Europe. The park also launched The National Turtle Sanctuary in 2019, to provide long-term care for freshwater turtles and terrapins, often found dumped in waterways. It now houses over 400 rehomed turtles.