FIRST FLIGHT AVIARY
Even when John Bradford was a young boy in elementary school, he
daydreamed about birds. Many times while supposedly studying, he was
drawing pictures of wild birds. This love of birds carried over to his
work here at The Tropics.
In May of 1997, without a penny to open a construction account, we
decided it was time to stop waiting for donations to pour in, and begin
to build an aviary for our birds. With nothing but a garden tiller and
shovel, John Bradford set out to do just that. He dug the footer,
measuring 24' X 40' using those tools, and by the time we needed money to purchase block
for the foundation we had $2,000 in our construction
account. By the time that money was used up, two building supply
companies extended us $1,000 each, credit. To date, $1,500 has been
charged to those accounts. Then another $1,000 donation came in and
finally a $1,700 was received from the Raleigh-Durham Caged Bird Society, in Raleigh, NC.
By the time that money was gone, all of the materials had been purchased.
This aviary, now complete, measures 24'x40'x16', and is fully enclosed.
The interior walls measure 10' tall, with a 16' peak ceiling. There are
6 skylights, 15 windows, and one door. The aviary is heated for winter,
and contains exhaust and window fans for the summer.
Our second aviary is now under construction and will be complete by the
end of 1999, It measures 20'x36'x12' and will house the small to medium
birds. It also contains heat for winter and ventilation for summer. The
birds will be released into immediate flight once they are placed out there.
This will allow us significant room in the original aviary to spread out the
large birds, socialize them, and then release them into full flight.
The long-range goal is to build a geo-dome structure, which will mimic a
natural rain forest. It will measure 60' in diameter and 30' tall.
Adjacent to that will be an educational center and hospital/quarantine
quarters. This project will take MAJOR funding, so if anyone can help,
or know of people, both private and corporate that can help, please let
us know as soon as possible. Fund raising for this construction must
begin now.
The public is invited to visit our facility for personal tours, as well as
field trips including tourist and school groups. Please call to schedule a visit.
In doing so, The Tropics extends its knowledge of parrots to the public, and
completes the cycle of rescue, rehabilitation, permanent housing, and
education that are so sorely needed.
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Won't you become apart of this one-of-a-kind venture? If you would like further information on how you can help, please contact Mary Bradford at
The Tropics Bird Refuge.
No person is insignificant, and no donation too small. Thank you.
.
You can contact Mary via E-Mail at:
The Tropics
Or you can drop her a line at:
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The Tropics
P.O. Box 686
Kannapolis, NC 28082-0686
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If you would like to see additional pictures of our Free Flight Aviary and the expansion, please click here
More Pictures
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