NORTHEAST AVIAN RESCUE INC

Our goal is to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home as many parrots and exotic pet birds as possible throughout the New York/New England region. We bring the birds into the rescue, addressing any behavioral or health issues through a number of rehabilitative techniques. Once the birds are appropriately rehabilitated and ready for adoption (this process can take days, months, or even years depending on the individual bird), we search for appropriate, pre-screened adoptive families and facilitate permanent adoptions into safe, loving homes.

Our current location allows us to handle upward of 200 cases per year, though we are in the midst of an expansion project which, once completed, will more than quadruple our intake capacity.

NEAR maintains an "open door" intake policy, which means we do not have any set charges for surrender requests and we always do everything possible to ensure the ability to receive surrendered birds immediately upon receipt of surrender documentation. The only limiting factor for the rescue is capacity, but even when we face capacity issues, we attempt to find intermediate intake solutions so that we never have to say "no" to a bird in need.

We maintain excellent relationships with veterinary resources both in our community and with specialists region-wide. These relationships allow us to provide medical services as needed, ensuring the birds we protect are kept in the best possible health. Volunteers provide critical services at the rescue daily, ensuring the most comfortable environment possible for all the birds entrusted to our care.

Adopters are screened carefully. Applications are reviewed and applicants interviewed before interacting with the birds. Because of the potential danger associated with larger, typically aggressive birds, NEAR staff take great care in ensuring that potential adopters are matched with birds that meet their level of experience. A home visit is a required step in the adoption process and NEAR reserves the right to refuse and adoption at any time, for any reason.

Adopters sign a legally binding contract which, along with the promise of providing proper levels of care, also require the adopter to return the adopted bird to NEAR if for any reason, at any time, they cannot continue caring for the animal. NEAR staff make themselves available at all times -- before, during and after the adoption -- to provide advice and answer any questions that may arise.

The NEAR location can support up to 150 birds at any given time. All rescued birds are kept at the main location for quarantine and during the adoption process. NEAR does occasionally utilize foster homes, but only on a case by case, temporary basis. While in foster homes, birds are considered "unavailable for adoption."

All potential adopters are interviewed and monitored by senior NEAR staff during the entire adoption process. This allows a consistently applied approach to the adoption process and provides staff the greatest amount of flexibility and accuracy in the screening process.

Another important factor is that NEAR does not charge adoption fees, nor require a donation as a means of securing an adoption. Taking money completely out of the equation allows us an even greater independence and ability to make decisions based on what is best for the birds in our care, rather than based on what will best fill the coffers.

We have typically handled 150 to 300 birds per year since 2013. The numbers can fluctuate substantially (one cage can house a single macaw or perhaps 20 to 30 parakeets, but we have been able to handle the demand -- at times we have even been able to take overflow from other smaller rescues when we have excess capacity.

In September, 2017 we embarked on a project to expand the rescue by building a dedicated facility. We have purchased a five-acre property not far from our current location and will be building a 5,000 square foot structure there, which will approximately quadruple our intake space from the 800 square feet we currently dedicate in the home of NEAR's Executive Director. In addition to the increased intake footage, space will be dedicated for quarantine, boarding and storage of supplies and equipment which will be purchased for resale to adopters and the general public as a means of covering operational costs. Additionally, NEAR will introduce several community-based programs designed to protect parrots and exotic birds, as well as to match them with people in need (ie: Seniors, Veterans, etc.).

The size and location of the property purchased will allow for further expansion of the rescue as needed.