Yurle Angel showing off some of her pets
(BAILEY ZIMMER / iNFOnews.ca)
October 03, 2024 - 6:00 AM
A Summerland woman has turned her passion for parrots and helping people into a new business.
Yurle Angel, who works in long-term care with Interior Health, rescues parrots that have been abandoned or whose original owners can no longer care for them.
She started bring birds to work with her and saw how they brightened the patients' day.
“Every day that I go to work, I bring one with me and I see the difference they make in the resident’s life. I can see how it’s so positive," Angel said. "Even when someone is having behavioural issues, they can grab the parrot or pick the parrot up on their walker and they change.”
That's when ParrotMania was born.
At her home in Summerland, her flock of parrots are enjoying their time in her bright, sunlit front room perched on various rings with bells and rectangular stands, screeching and showing off their tropical colours.
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Angel said many people purchase parrots and can’t properly care for them, or don’t know the responsibility that comes along with owning a pet that could outlive them.
Parrots haven’t been domesticated pets for long and still act as the wild animals they are, she said. All parrots can bite, screech and need lots of attention.
She started Parrot Mania with education for the protection of the animal in mind to help deter irresponsible pet owners from taking on a challenge they may not be able to handle, and to educate those who are determined to be good owners.
“I want people to know that parrots are not good pets,” Angel said. “It's only been a few generations that they have been pets, so it's going to take way longer for a parrot to be like a pet. They’re still wild animals, even when you work a lot with them and you interact with them. They go back to their natural instinct, so I want the new generation to see that it's not that easy.”
After two weeks in business, ParrotMania is catching the eye of the Okanagan residents as her social media page gains popularity. She and her parrots can be booked for birthdays or other special events.
Each parrot has a personality, unique to their being, and like to sing and dance to different tunes, she said.
Angel said parrots have emotions just as humans do and have the brain of a three-year-old. When they’re younger, they can feel hormonal or emotional and are looking for a comfort bond. They can also feel sad, happy and connected to their owner. Because of their incredible emotional intelligence, the right caretaker is needed for the birds to live a fulfilled and long life.
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Each bird has a unique personality and varying body language, making every one different in character. Some of Angel’s birds sing loudly, while others like to snuggle up or trail after her on the floor like a dog.
“When they don't have the attention they want, that they deserve, they can become like little monsters,” Angel said. “They will get behaviour issues, they will chew anything, they will scream, but when you interact with them and you give them attention, they are the best pets you can have.”
Since she was a young girl growing up in Columbia she said she's had an intense love for the creatures and it only grows as the years go on.
While Angel currently has 12 birds, only nine of them are ready to be shown off to the community as the others still need to work on their social skills before being around others.
Angel doesn't plan to take in any more birds as she does not want the quality of life of her current pets to decrease if she takes on a bigger responsibility.
For more information about ParrotMania go here.
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