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Some of San Francisco s iconic wild parrots are sick. Meet the people who are saving them.
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As soon as she wakes up, the Chief Operations Officer of Mickaboo (a nonprofit bird rescue and adoption organization) spends two hours checking on each of the cherry-headed conures, most of whom are named after the San Francisco streets where they were found:
Injured or sick and therefore deemed non-releasable to their urban habitat, the parrots fostered by Lemarié are dwelling in her living room for the time being until they can find a permanent new home.
She feeds them a mix of pellets and fresh vegetables with a bit of fruit, usually lingering at the towel-lined cage belonging to Clay. Half of the wild parrots in Lemarié’s home show signs of bromethlian poisoning – a commonly used rodenticide – but Clay’s symptoms might be the most apparent: His head droops to the side. He can’t perch or fly very well. The towels,
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Some of San Francisco s iconic wild parrots are sick. Meet the people who are saving them.
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Mooshi and Julian are two cherry-headed conures fostered by Sarah Lemarié, a volunteer for Mickaboo, a bird rescue and nonprofit organization.Courtesy of Sarah Lemarié and MickabooShow MoreShow Less
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Beale and Clay snuggle together in their cage.Courtesy of Sarah Lemarié and MickabooShow MoreShow Less
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Two cherry-headed conures perch on a tree in San Francisco.Thomas Winz/Getty ImagesShow MoreShow Less
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A cherry-headed conure part of the wild flock in San Francisco perches in a tree.Jorge Figueiredo/Getty ImagesShow MoreShow Less