As parrots can live to be 80 years old, large birds are increasingly outliving their owners of the baby-boom generation, flooding the Magnolia Exotic Bird Sanctuary with new residents, MEBS Communications Director Candace Tanner said.

“It’s really near impossible for us to keep up with,” she said.

Founded in 2004 by Sharon Markland and established as a nonprofit organization in 2014, the MEBS is a lifelong sanctuary for abandoned, neglected, abused and relinquished parrots. The sanctuary is home to macaws, cockatoos, Amazons and other medium and large parrots. Nearly 200 parrots reside on the property, including 16 birds temporarily left homeless after Hurricane Harvey hit the Greater Houston area in August, Markland said. These rescue birds will be reunited with their owners once flooded homes are rebuilt.

“I got into it 30 years ago, and it’s just been a passion. There’s nothing like birds,” she said.

One of few bird sanctuaries in the nation caring for more than 150 birds, MEBS receives near-constant phone calls for requests to take birds, said Tanner, Markland’s sister. While some birds are adopted out, most of the birds will stay in the sanctuary for life, she said.

Many of its residents are older than 40 years old, Markland said.

While the need for a bird sanctuary is great, funding needs persist, Markland said. The organization spends between $12,000 and $13,000 annually on parrot food alone, she said. Veterinarian bills total several hundred dollars as well, and electric bills soar to nearly $600 during the winter months, she said.

“We are busting at the seams,” Tanner said. “We’re getting well-known in the parrot world but not well-known in the funding world yet. [In] this type of animal welfare work, funding is everything to keep doing what you’re doing.”

Nestled just south of Stagecoach, the MEBS has kept to itself for the last 14 years, not really seeking a community presence, Tanner said. As the sanctuary looks to expand its property and add an adoption center, the organization is hoping to get the word out to the community about its welfare work.

“It’s time. We’re at this crossroads,” she said. “People need to know.”

Magnolia Exotic Bird Sanctuary
19703 Turtle Creek Lane, Magnolia
619-379-1779
www.magnoliaexoticbirdsanctuary.org