Charlie
Charlie is the perfect example of why Sara’s Sanctuary was created and what we strive to achieve with all the animals that find their way to our door. With patience, persistence and a lot of love, almost every one of them can have a very happy story, too!
Charlie came to us from a wonderful, caring rescuer in California who had been trying to raise him in his kitchen for over a year. Although, he obviously loved this crow, he knew Charlie needed more specialized care than he would be able to provide. So, he brought him to here to our Sanctuary. Charlie had no tail or wing feathers. We called him “Bumble Bee” because he and would fly straight up and drop back down, he couldn’t balance himself upright on a perch. We needed to build a cage that would help to keep him from continually falling on his back. We added different sized ladders for him to learn to balance himself and to eventually be able to walk down onto the grass when he was strong enough and finally conquered his fear of open spaces.
Charlie also had developed what’s known as “scissor beak”. This required his food to be cut into very small pieces and hand fed to him three times a day. He also needed supplements to help his feathers grow back without breaking off. We massaged his beak twice a day to train his beak to move back into a normal position. We were sure that Charlie would remain in captivity for the rest of his life, but after two years, all of his feathers were fully restored and he was able to eat completely by himself. He was moved to a flight pen to allow him to gain enough wing strength to learn to fly again. Another crow that had been rescued and released on our property began coming Charlie’s enclosure and eventually befriend Charlie through the enclosure wire. We cut a hole to see if Charlie showed any interest in flying free. One incredible day, after several weeks, he finally chose to pair with the other crow and flew out of the enclosure to be free on the property. That was two years ago and they are both still together. Every day they come to remind me to put out the fresh food they have grown to expect. They, and their family, are wonderfully protective of the Sanctuary and show that by chasing away the hawks that frequently come here wanting to feed on other birds and squirrels living on our property.
After seeing the unbelievable and horrendous things humans either do or allow to happen to animals, this is the perfect story. This is exactly why we work so hard to provide everything possible to ensure a happy ending for all our animals and birds who have and will call Sara’s Sanctuary their safe haven.
