Oscar was an Internet sensation this spring, appearing in a video that spread around the world like, well, a virus. I had the privilege of visiting Oscar one afternoon with Pamela Quirin, my friend who volunteers at the Broward County Humane Society. Oscar, a female Moluccan cockatoo, resides at the Broward County Humane Society (BCHS) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and lives with psittacine beak & feather disease (PBFD). Employees at BCHS originally didn’t give her more than six months to live when she first came to them. That was more than 12 years ago. Oscar came to BCHS when she was turned over to the Broward County Wildlife Care Center after a rescue confiscation in 1996. According to Patricia Cooprider, a Vet Tech for the BCHS, “She was found living in a barbeque grill.”
PLUS: Q&A With Dr. Ross Perry, the veterinarian credited with identifying and naming PBFD.
**For the full article, pick up the August 2008 issue of BIRD TALK**
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