Santa Barbara Bird Sanctuary received participant license

Exotic birds need a lot of care and have big personalities, which can lead to them being orphaned by their human families.

“I’ve been doing this for 40 years, they teach me something new every day,” said Jamie McLeod, founder of the Santa Barbara Bird Sanctuary.

In 2004, McLeod opened the Santa Barbara Bird Sanctuary to rehabilitate and rehome unwanted and displaced exotic birds.

“They don’t just change your life. If you do it right, they become your life,” McLeod explains.

Exotic birds can live 60 to 80 years, but most give up within 2 to 3 years, according to McLeod.

McLeod explains: “People look at them and are so impressed by their beauty. They’re smart. They can talk, you know. A lot of times people buy them and don’t do enough research.”

Nearly 50 abandoned birds are home to the nonprofit organization.

“This is Doodle. It was abandoned at the Santa Barbara Zoo and had a note on it that said: Please help me doodle,” said Jodi McLeod, keeper of the Santa Barbara Bird Sanctuary.

When Doodle was found, he had a large wound on his chest and had almost all of his hair pulled out. Kakatu Doodle now has ties to the shelter’s permanent resident and staff member, Jodi McLeod.

“We cuddle and they love jumping on the table and exercising,” McLeod said.

The sanctuary recently received a exhibitor license under the USDA Animal Welfare Act, which requires increased security and oversight for the birds.

“This law is important because it was developed to prevent things like the Tiger King and animal hoarders and situations where these creatures are exploited for money, traded on the black market, because they are so valuable,” McLeod explains.