Meet Maya and Woodstock—
Woodstock and Maya are Great Green macaws, which are one of the most endangered parrot species on the planet.
They were two of 20 parrots rescued by Foster Parrots from a hoarder situation in Vermont in 2007. The birds had been living in a garage with at least a dozen cats. The entire floor of the garage had become an impromptu litter box, strewn with cat litter and feces. The stench of urine in the garage made our eyes water when we entered. There was no question—we had to get those birds out.
Maya was one of several birds from that bunch with a serious illness. She had a self-mutilation wound under her wing that required intense attention and treatment. In the end she was diagnosed with avian bornavirus.
Today Maya is a happy, active resident of the sanctuary. She is gregarious and self-confident, which is an enormous improvement over the shy and withdrawn creature we rescued back in 2007. The wound under her wing seems to have resolved, though we keep an eye on it.
She remains steadfastly bonded to her mate, Woodstock.
Woodstock is a curious but cautious bird. We will often find him trying to climb up anything he can get his beak onto. While he normally does not like to get picked up, he will eagerly put out his foot when he realizes he needs to get back to Maya and his playframe.
