Please don’t take away our tropical paradise….

Two nights ago the Vancouver Park Board voted to close the Bloedel Conservatory in the Queen Elizabeth Park. It makes me sad for a number of reasons.

It’s not a fantastic conservatory compared to some in the world, but it is a tropical paradise that one can escape to in the depths of a rainy Vancouver winter. It’s warm, and humid, and there are tropical birds and colourful tropical flowers. And don’t we need those bright spots on an otherwise grey canvas between September and May?

I have some great photos of the flora and fauna in the conservatory. In particular I got a few really great shots of the Moluccan cockatoo in the summer of 2008. I couldn’t really walk well, because after the first day of our photography class I tried to break both my feet off. Luckily I only half succeeded. But as a result I missed our field trip…. but Kirk, bless him after I ruined our summer vacation by crippling myself (hard to jump off a boat and help dock it when you can’t even walk), held me up and took me to where the class went for the field trip and took all the same pictures all over again so I could sort of be one of the class… even though the class ended a month previous.

I worked in a pet store once…and I hated Moluccan cockatoos…almost as much as I loved them. They are soft and fluffy and pink…and they talk in a little girl’s voice and stretch their necks out and scratch themselves on a spot near the back while looking at you longingly as if they are desperately trying to say “here? Please” Oh if you just scratched me here it would feel SOOOOO good and I would be soooo grateful.” But man…can they scream. Shatteringly, deafeningly, blood spurts out of your ears scream…. They get people evicted. And that is how this Moluccan cockatoo ended up at the Bloedel Conservatory. Charlie was his name. He passed away about a week ago, and his keepers shed tears on television…and I felt for them. these monsters really get under your skin with their simple personalities and exuberant attitudes. As loud as they are, they are truly loving creatures…when they aren’t screaming. I understand this…I live with a little parrot. Some days I love him, others I wonder what he’d taste like stewed in a broth. Too small…not much of a mouthful.

Gizmo really is a small problem child compared to what a Moluccan can put you through. Consider the following recommendations I found online….

1. Be sure your home and family is willing to accept the responsibilities and needs of the Cockatoo. If you wish to cut down on the dust, make sure you have an excellent air cleaner in the same room and plan on a small shop vac for daily cleanups of debris thrown from the cage. Note it says ” cut down “. Cockatoos produce large amounts of dust and your home will get coated with it. Running the vacuum and / or dusting daily is pretty common with the Cockatoo species. They produce that much dust. Allergies or asthma ? Consider a different species.
2. Buy a very large cage and try to get one with a play gym on the top. Place the cage against a wall (unless you have a chewer) and never in front of a window where the bird cannot find some privacy and seclusion. Keep the cage where the bird can see family members interacting and feel like they are part of the action but in an area away from the kitchen and fumes.
3. Plan on buying lots of toys or making them. Cockatoos love to destroy things, chew up old socks, and their bright minds need to be stimulated all the time. Rotate the toys every week to keep their interest.
4. Pay attention to the birds. These are not birds that can be left 8 hours a day with no human interaction. They become neurotic and can resort to self-mutilation to try to comfort themselves.
5. Good training early on in a bird’s life will ensure continued acceptable behavior later on when the hormones kick in. Make sure you allow them time to amuse themselves and not indulge their constant need for attention. These birds aren’t called ‘Velcro’ birds for nothing!
6. If you go out, leave a radio or the tv on so they have something to listen to and watch. Tell them you are coming back and will see them in a little bit. They understand a lot and have the intelligence of a 2 year-old human.
7. While some learn to talk well, they generally are the clowns and love entertaining you by dancing, flapping and swinging with loud abandon. Their vocal range is wide and can be heard halfway down the block, so have understanding neighbors that have been allowed to get to know the bird when you take it outside. If you live in an apartment, do not even consider a Moluccan. With a yell capable of reaching 130db, your neighbors will ensure you don’t stay long.

Small wonder Charlie ended up there…. but I digress….

When I have been to the conservatory I have watched people look on the birds in wonder. Others stand in awe of the fantastic plants and flowers. Others appear simply grateful to be out of the rain.

If this decision goes through, the Bloedel Conservatory will die, and another wonderful and exotic escape in BC will disappear much like the Crystal Gardens did several years ago.

And that will truly be a tragedy.