Animal rescues in N.S. say they're dealing with 'astronomical' demand for rehoming

A Nova Scotia bird rescue has had to stop accepting new surrenders, as animal rescues in the province deal with increasing demand for their services.

Diane Cooke has been running Privateer Parrot Rescue out of her home in Liverpool since 2000 and currently has about 50 birds in her care.

In the last year, the number of people looking to surrender birds has exploded, Cooke said.

"It has definitely gone through the roof, beyond what we're actually able to accommodate. We have had to turn people away."

Her rescue is just one of a number in the province being overwhelmed by demand for their services, as people facing unstable housing situations and rising veterinary care costs look to rehome their animals.

Cooke said she's receiving about five requests a month to rehome birds. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, she would have seen that many in a year.

The increase is partly due to people returning to the office to work, Cooke said, after working from home during the pandemic. Because birds bond closely to their owners, that change has caused some birds to develop behavioural problems. 

"The parrot starts developing almost like separation anxiety and that can lead to a whole bunch of behaviours: feather plucking, screaming, just not happy," she said. "I think some people just aren't equipped to deal with that, and so we did see numbers rise quite dramatically."

But the biggest factor, Cooke said, is people dealing with unstable housing.

"I would say that probably makes up most of our surrenders," she said. 

Birds can be loud and destructive, making them challenging for people who rent. Many materials, like new carpets and new paint, are also toxic to birds, posing problems for people moving to new housing where conditions are beyond their control. 

Privateer Parrot Rescue isn't the only animal rescue seeing the effects of the housing crisis.

Heather Woodin, chief of animal operations with the Nova Scotia SPCA, said in the last year the organization has seen a change in the reasons people are seeking their assistance.

"We have seen a sort of return to pre-pandemic levels, but for a variety of reasons that are vastly different than those previous years."