Romeo, Mitch. (WXYZ) — Kelly Labonti thought the man who called desperate for help with the dozens of parrots he found at his father’s house was about to release about 80 birds, but he ended up with hundreds the day before Christmas Eve Show.
The man distributed 497 parrots, specifically budgies, or budgerigars.
Then the day after Christmas, he contacted Labonti again. He said he has about 50 additional parrots to surrender to LaBonty, the founder of the Detroit Animal Welfare Group (DAWG).
Knowing that the birds were in a terrifying environment, Labonti did not hesitate to ask the man to bring the birds and hurry so that they could immediately start trying the birds. Some were very young and were separated from their mothers due to overcrowding.
But instead of giving away several dozen more birds, he brought an additional 339 birds to the Macomb County farm, where Labonti and volunteers care for the dogs and other animals at their shelter and rehabilitate wildlife.
The birds were alive but in distress.
LaBonti told 7 Action News, “They were all on top of each other and they were suffocating and they were under a lot of tension. When they arrived they weren’t even moving. I thought they were all dead because None of them were moving.”
Shannon Kramer from Birds and Beaks Rescue and Rehab in Battle Creek arrived with some of her volunteers to take more than 300 birds into her care.
“Bless him for getting help and not just opening a window because it’s dangerous, they would all have died,” Kramer told 7 Action News.
In the video player above, you can hear what the bird hoarder must have done to the man’s father.
The defenses are included below. You can contact each of them for information about adopting or donating any birds for their needs and medical assistance:
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