Spare The Cockatoos A Life Sentence - Part 3

Charlie Girl - with hernia between her legs

Charlie Girl is a legacy bird. She had spent over 55 years in a small cage and when her owners died, their children did not want her. Pictured here soon after she came out of the cage she was found to have a hernia between her legs. This soon grew to the size of an egg.

We met her 2 weeks after her operation. She was recovering well. The vet had placed a collar round her neck to prevent her from accidentally tearing out her stitches. This also prevented her from preening and cleaning herself, so she looked a bit grubby. Here she's preparing for a short nap.

Nothing like an afternoon siesta to help the body heal quickly, content to be seated in the open besides her human friends while they talk.

A drink from her favourite humans...

A thank you kiss from one heart to another.

Refreshed and rejuvenated, Charlie Girl is delighted to be back on the arm of her rescuer Peter whom she absolutely adores.

This is the hospital bed that Pete and Gabi had made for Charlie Girl while they kept her under supervised care indoors when she was recuperating from the operation.

Glad that her life is no longer comparable to that of a statue, Charlie Girls rests on her perch indoors while we interview Peter and Gabi.

Life has turned around for Charlie Girl as she gets to potter on the ground, pick seeds and grasses and enjoy a natural environment at last.

Free of her collar and a good bill of health from the vet, Charlie Girl is ready for a new phase in life.

A ride in the car is quite an adventure from a bird's perspective.

The smile says it all....

A happy Charlie Girl - healthy and free to preen herself, forage on the ground and exercise her wings, Charlie lost no time in restoring her feathers to their natural white and shiny state.