ANDERSONVILLE — It took almost a dozen Edgewater neighbors your complete summer season to rescue a resilient stray parakeet, who’s now up for adoption at Chicagoland Exotic Animal Rescue in Andersonville, 5315 N Clark St., Ste. 218.
Volunteers named the yellow-and-green parakeet George Hollywood as a result of they discovered him at Hollywood Beach in Edgewater, mentioned Chicagoland Exotic Animal Rescue founder Jessica Katz.
“The number of people involved with getting him to come here was just astronomical when you think about how he’s a bird that weighs about 35 grams,” Katz mentioned.
Someone noticed George Hollywood over the summer season meandering round Hollywood Beach and referred to as the rescue to alert volunteers, Katz mentioned. It’s seemingly he was a pet that escaped or was let out as a result of parakeets don’t naturally stay within the space, she mentioned.
George Hollywood evaded being captured for months and survived by mimicking the behaviors of fellow birds alongside the Far North Side lakefront. He was monitored for well being and security — and humane seize — the entire time by the animal shelter’s volunteers and the group of lakefront birders and wildlife fanatics. He developed fairly the next.
“George is a really smart little boy,” Katz mentioned. “He partnered up with the native sparrows and pigeons and discovered the place they have been getting their meals and water, then began emulating their day by day habits.
“His fan club became very attuned to his patterns and one of my volunteers would go out there almost every day and spend hours trying to catch him, but he had another agenda,” she mentioned.
Parakeets are a species of parrots native to Australia and are sometimes taken as pets. They favor to stay in heat grasslands and aren’t used to Chicago’s chilly atmosphere.
It’s not “unheard of” for domesticated birds to get by on their very own for brief intervals of time, however they face a lot of risks, from excessive climate to predators, Katz mentioned.
George Hollywood was lastly apprehended in mid-October, when a passerby nabbed the fowl whereas he was resting on the seashore and introduced him in utilizing a paper grocery bag.
“When I realized she’d found George Hollywood, I got so excited that I had her bring him right to me at work,” Katz mentioned. “Our vet examined him and he was mostly healthy, just a little skinny and dehydrated.”
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George Hollywood is staying with a foster whereas he awaits adoption to his eternally home, in line with the rescue. The fowl was not too long ago visited by one in every of his caregivers from his time on the seashore and “he recognized her right away,” in line with his adoption page.
“George is gregarious, gorgeous, and can emulate a cicada like a champ,” the web page reads. “This smart boy would do best in an active household with dedicated humans and/or other parakeets.”
George Hollywood is being re-homed due to the volunteer community at Chicagoland Exotic Animal Rescue, which works to rescue stray pet birds and reptiles. Right now, the shelter is over capability and desires group help, Katz mentioned.
This 12 months, the solely volunteer-run Chicagoland Exotic Animal Rescue has saved extra birds and reptiles than ever earlier than. As of Nov. 1, volunteers have rescued 59 stray pets this 12 months. In 2022, volunteers rescued 43 pets over the course of your complete 12 months.
“It’s just showing more and more that our presence is useful to the community and beneficial to the critters we rescue,” Katz mentioned.
The enhance in rescues implies that the cost of caring for these pets has additionally jumped considerably, so the organization is in want of volunteers and financial donations, in line with Katz.
You can study extra about the best way to volunteer or foster pets on Chicagoland Exotic Animal Rescue’s website. You can even donate money online or contact Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital straight at 847-329-8709.
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