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, every one of them has a very happy story!
Charlie came to us from a very caring person in California. He had been trying to raise this crow 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 or even sit 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 and ramps so he could learn to balance himself. After a few months he eventually was able to walk down onto the grass where he 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. 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, his feathers were fully restored and he was able to eat completely on his own. He was moved to a flight pen to allow him to gain his wing strength to learn to fly again. Another crow that had been rescued and released on our property began coming to Charlie’s enclosure. We cut a hole to see if Charlie showed any interest in flying free. One incredible day, after several months, Charlie chose to pair with the other crow and flew out of the enclosure to be free on the property. That was seven 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 are wonderfully protective of the Sanctuary grounds, and every year bring their children to say hello to us.
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.
