At least once a year, The Alaska Bird Club is called upon to assist in situations involving people who hoard and collect birds. This year has been no different. Sometimes these situations are in the news- most times not. With this in mind, it’s important to understand this problem and the characteristics of people that typically hoard and collect animals. Hoarding is defined as the excessive collection and retention of things or animals until they interfere with day-to-day functions such as home, health, family, work and social life. Severe hoarding causes safety and health hazards.

First and foremost, people that collect and hoard animals have a mental illness. They truly believe that they are the only person that could care for that animal and that they are ‘saving’ it from death, or placement in a shelter. Typically, the hoarder cannot say “no” to any bird that is offered and rationalizes taking in more and more by presenting themselves as a rescue or sanctuary organization. Sadly, most hoarders fail to recognize the poor and deteriorating conditions of the animals that they keep and frequently justify resulting illnesses and death as a result of abuse and neglect that occurred prior to their care. This allows the hoarder to not take responsibility for their actions. Please be aware that there are no certified avian sanctuaries in Alaska and only two non-profit avian adoption/rescue organizations in Alaska: The Alaska Bird Club and Parrot Education and Adoption Center (PEAC). Both organizations focus on education, training and adoption services.

Sadly, there are several individuals across the state that are presenting themselves as rescue organizations or sanctuaries, and in reality, they are hoarding birds. It’s important to ask anyone presenting themselves as a rescue or sanctuary, for a copy of their IRS paperwork establishing them as non profit, a copy of their Articles of Incorporation, proof of a business license and kennel license. Another resource is to check is the local animal control or shelter to see if that entity has established themselves as an approved kennel or rescue group.

If you are aware of situations where animals and birds are not being cared for, please report that situation to the local animal control. Frequently hoarders are very persuasive in convincing others that they are the best option or only option for care of that animal. Please don’t ignore an animal that is not receiving appropriate care. It’s important to note if the animal is receiving adequate and appropriate food and water, appropriate care (including medical care), hygiene and grooming, and if the animal is living in an acceptable environment. Sometimes people provide care for an animal out of sheer ignorance, so one of the positive outcomes of reporting animal neglect or abuse is the training and education to follow. Also, don’t assume because someone has numerous animals that they are a hoarder. There are many people that provide excellent care to lots of animals. The key benchmarks in determining if that person is a hoarder or not is the condition of the animals in their care.

Because of our experiences with confiscations over the past few years, The Alaska Bird Club has made a concerted effort to improve our capacity to respond effectively to mass relinquishments. We have increased the number of approved emergency and foster homes, established a stock of cages of all sizes, and refined our Adopt-A-Bird policy and procedure to include definitions of abandonment. We are in the process of writing Avian Standards of Care and have recently assisted the Mat Su Borough staff, who is drafting revised regulations for care of birds. We also initiated a Disaster and Emergency Preparedness Committee this year.

In some ways, TABC has been lucky, in that the numbers of birds relinquished through confiscations has been fairly low, averaging 20-30 and these have been primarily small birds such as lovebirds, cockatiels and budgies. While this was challenging and a drain on resources at the time, it was minor on the scale of the resources that will be needed if and when there’s a confiscation involving large numbers of larger parrots.

If you are interested in assisting TABC with future confiscations by providing emergency and/or foster care or if you have space in your garage or shed to store supplies and cages, please contact us. We can use your help!

Leanna Rein, President
The Alaska Bird Club

The Alaska Bird Club • P.O. Box 101825 • Anchorage AK 99510
akbirdclub@yahoo.com