Charlie is a green eclectus parrot who was on death’s door. That was until Safehaven, a bird rescue in Nottinghamshire, Britain, removed Charlie from his neglected home. The initial vet evaluation placed Charlie in such dire condition that immediate euthanasia was recommended. The BBC reported on March 11, 2013, that Safehaven’s coordinator changed Charlie’s fate and saved his life with her knitting skills.
Poor Charlie
Charlie arrived at Safehaven in such horrible condition that the vet thought the most human thing to do was to put him down. He had no feathers and constantly shivered. Charlie was emaciated and so weak that he could not hold himself up on his perch. Rebecca refused to call it quits on Charlie. She took him home, spoon fed him, and knitted him some jumpsuits to keep him warm. Now, Charlie will not part with the jumpsuits.
Knitting for a cause
Charlie was emaciated and had almost no feathers. His condition prevented him from keeping warm. Safehavens coordinator, Rebecca Blagg, does not consider herself a knitting master. However, she knit a jumpsuit for Charlie and he seemed to like it.
The jumpsuit resembles a fitted tank top, with large open “arm holes” for Charlie’s wings to pass through. Blagg knit up several jumpsuits for Charlie, one in green, one in blue, and a couple of peach-brown multicolored ones.
Now that Charlie is in good health he no longer needs the jumpsuits to keep warm. But try to take away his attire and he throws a parrot hissy-fit. According to Blagg, Charlie will shout, stomp about, and become very agitated if he cannot wear his jumpsuits.
Kudos to Rebecca Blagg and Safehaven for giving Charlie a second chance on life. Who knew that the parrot was really a fashionista.
Lynda Altman is an animal lover, blogger and writer. She volunteers with her family at a local, no-kill animal shelter. She misses her pet sulfur crested cockatoo, Sammy, who passed away at the age of 30 several years ago. You can contact Lynda via email or on Twitter @fusgeyer.
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