2023 Update and Holiday Greeting

As the holiday season approaches, we want to express our gratitude for your continued support and share some of the exciting developments from the past year.

2023 has presented many of the same challenges as prior years, as many smaller nonprofits struggle to survive in a post-pandemic landscape.

According to Allison Smith of Neon One, “Giving USA found that just 3% of all giving went to environmental and animal welfare organizations,” and “environmental nonprofits received only about 2% of charitable donations.”

Gail Koelin of One Earth Conservation (OEC) notes that there is “little to no capacity building support for smaller wildlife conservation organizations, in sharp contrast to, for example, small arts organizations.” She finishes by putting forth that the simplest and most immediate way to help preserve and restore biodiversity globally is to “donate more to small wildlife organizations and volunteer when and where it is logistically possible.”

This serves as a poignant reminder of the crucial role your support plays in our capacity to care for our existing flock and to increase awareness about the plight of captive parrots and their wild counterparts.

We hope we can continue to count on you in 2024 and beyond, and we hope you’ll share this information with friends and family members and encourage them to support small nonprofits to ensure maximum value for their donations.

Remember, MAARS is entirely nonprofit with no paid staff, so every dollar donated goes directly to our flock and our mission to raise awareness of the ongoing plight of parrots in captivity and the impact of the pet trade on parrots in the wild.

Bongo Bob, Umbrella Cockatoo,
playing in the kitchen

Helping Those Who Need Us Most

We were incredibly grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the rescue efforts surrounding the closure of the Mayaguez Zoo in Puerto Rico earlier this year. The zoo had been under scrutiny for suspected negligence, resource shortages, and animal deaths brought to light by activists. In July, we welcomed seven Indian Ring-Necks and six young Canary-Wing Parakeets from the zoo and have been working to integrate them into our flock.

Part of the new open-flight space
for the Indian Ring-Necks

The Ring-Necks currently share an open-flight space of their own, where they’ve paired off and are gleefully causing trouble.

The Canary-Wing Parakeets were integrated into our small-bird open-flight room, where they can typically be found curiously engaging with volunteers and devouring everything in sight as they grow.

Shortly after adding the birds from the Mayaguez Zoo closure, we were able to help provide sanctuary space to 14 Budgies, a single adult Canary-Winged Parakeet, and a Cockatiel, all of whom came to us as foundlings.

This underscores the growing issue of small birds found outdoors, a problem steadily rising since 2020, placing immense strain on the capacity of sanctuaries nationwide, including ours.

MAARS alone has doubled its small bird numbers in the last three years, and the story is the same across the country. It’s important to remember that these are non-native birds who have profoundly minimal chances of survival if released. As with the Canary-Wings, they’ve been incorporated into our small-bird flock, forming their own groups and creating a comfortable niche for themselves. Picture the whole flock zipping around the room, with the Budgies providing the sass they’re so renowned for.

Budgies and a Cockatiel in the
new open flight room

Three Canary-Winged Parakeets sitting side by side on a colorful rope perch, two of them looking directly at the camera

Three of the Canary-Winged Parakeets

MAARS In The News

We’ve been busy here at MAARS in 2023 working to help educate and share our mission, and we were fortunate to have had some exciting opportunities to connect with the public:

Featured in Popular Science Magazine!

In an article published this April, Popular Science writer Brandon Kiem wrote a piece about captive parrots and PTSD in collaboration with us. This collaboration served as an excellent avenue to broadcast our message to an audience that might not have encountered it otherwise. You can read the article here.

Initiatives and Projects

We’re always striving to improve and expand our mission, and this year has been no exception:

#SpreadOurWings

As previously highlighted in our newsletters, our significant fundraising initiative commenced in late spring 2019 under the banner of #SpreadOurWings. This effort aimed to propel us towards relocating to a new facility, providing an elevated environment for our flock.

Sputnik, Umbrella Cockatoo, playing in the kitchen

Petey, Lovebird & Basil, cockatiel, visiting in the new open-flight space

Open-Flight Spaces

We were excited to complete the design and build-out of our first completely open-flight spaces in July, as mentioned above. Our smaller birds (Cockatiels, Budgies, Canary-Wings, and Love Birds) share one of the communal spaces in a flock of 42 birds, with our flock of seven Indian Ring-Necks occupying the other. This provides them the opportunity to fly, socialize, and forage as they like, helping bring them closer to a more natural living environment.

New Skylights

This year, we prioritized the refurbishment of skylights and their surrounds to introduce more natural light for our birds.

Replacing the aging and inefficient skylights not only enhances the building’s aesthetics but also bolsters energy efficiency, reducing heating and cooling costs.

Pippen, Bubbles, Rowdy, & Woodstock, enjoying the new skylight

New USDA Regulations

We’re also thrilled to announce that with the help of the recommendations MAARS submitted to the USDA, parrots are now officially recognized for the first time under the USDA Animal Welfare Act. This marks a crucial first step in establishing basic protections for captive birds, encompassing their care, housing, and overall welfare.

While only the first step on a much longer journey to end parrots in captivity, it can’t be overstated how significant it is to have parrots and all birds recognized by the federal government as species needing regulations around their handling, care, treatment, and transportation. For further details, you can review the new regulations here.

Upcoming Events

2024 will see us engage in several events:

Spring Auction

We’re excited to host another auction to support our flock in the upcoming spring. Our previous auctions were highly successful and showed great engagement from our supporters and the community, and we look forward to doing it again. For more details or to contribute to our auction, contact us at donations@maars.org.

Kai, Goffin’s Cockatoo, playing
on a cargo net in the kitchen

Apricot, Moluccan Cockatoo,
about to eat a Brussel’s sprout

Facility Improvements

We’re working towards additional improvements to our existing facility with the goal of providing the best living space possible for the flock and strengthening our investment in the current building for when it is time to move on. In 2024, we’re exploring various projects, including replacing our loading doors and plumbing upgrades. These initiatives not only enhance efficiency but also contribute to making the building more appealing to potential future buyers.

How You Can Help

Your continued support is vital to the success of our sanctuary.
Here are a few ways you can help us both in this
holiday season and throughout the year:

Donate

Your financial support helps cover the costs of habitat maintenance, care, and educational programs. You can donate here.

Donate Land

Consider making a lasting impact by gifting land. For land donations, please reach out to us at birds@maars.org.

Volunteer

Give the gift of your time by volunteering with us. Your dedication is truly invaluable. Learn more about volunteering here.

Spread the Word

Share our mission and success stories with friends and family. Help us expand our circle of support. If you’d like to follow us on Facebook, you can find us here.

Foster or Adopt

If you have the capacity, there’s a significant need for foster homes for parrots, both large and small, here in Minnesota. If you’d like more information, please get in touch with The Parrot’s Umbrella.

Your involvement in any of these ways contributes immensely to the
well-being of our sanctuary and its residents.

From all of us at MAARS, we wish you a joyous and peaceful holiday season. Thank you for being an essential part of our success and for helping us give our flock a second chance at life.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Galiena Cimperman
Executive Director
MAARS

Unique Holiday Gifts

You can also support MAARS by purchasing unique holiday gifts from the flock, including the 2024 Flock calendar, original paintings, new prints, and a selection of greeting cards. 100% of the profits from the sales of items purchased through MAARS go directly to providing care for the MAARS flock.

2024 Flock Calendar

Paintings by Parrots

Greeting Cards

You can also assist MAARS’ mission by choosing MAARS as your designated charity through your sales on eBay for Charity, shopping through iGive, GoodShop, or providing food for the flock at Nuts.com.