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Oscar is the most precious living creature on the face of the earth! Left paralyzed from a fall out of a tree 3 years ago, Oscar is the epitome of love and patience. Before I continue with Oscar's story I must preface it with the following information. It was not a case of negligence on his owners' part that he was injured.
On July 4, 1994, Oscar and his 'parents' went to a holiday picnic a state away. They took his cages with them, and his wings were clipped to prevent him from escaping. Oscar's cage was set up outdoors and the crowd soon circled their chairs around him. While his parents were helping with the meal, Oscar shimmied down from his cage, and climbed up the nearest tree. The other picnickers neglected to inform his owners that he went up the tree. "Dad" went up the tree after him, but Oscar always kept at arm's length. Finally, Oscar was 35 feet high in a 50-foot tree. His "mom" was on the ground holding a blanket to catch him in, but no one in the crowd would help her spread out the blanket for the catch, as they were afraid of being injured by him (we can thank Alfred Hitchcock's movie, "The Birds" for that mentality.) Finally, Oscar went out onto a weak limb and was thrown down to the ground. Oscar's injuries were extensive, resulting in a broken back and paralysis. He spent 2 months in and out of a vet school hospital, being diagnosed, force fed and placed in a cast. Finally regaining his will to live, he was sent home. His parents had a rigorous schedule. They had to come home from work every 2 hours to hold him over paper so he could "go potty". They also had to set their alarm to get up every 2 hours during the night, for the same reason. After a year of this, they wanted to take a month's break. They, too, investigated places to put Oscar for this time, and decided upon The Tropics. The day he arrived, his cage was set up, and then he ate and slept. They left with peace of heart. By the time Oscar was here 2 weeks, he was scooting off of his pad to "go potty" on his own. He was able to get to his food and water, and his rope and leather toys. We then offered the owners a proposition. If they would leave Oscar with us permanently, we would GIVE them a well cockatoo in exchange. They agreed, and it has worked out ever since. PS: After almost succumbing to a serious respiratory infection, Oscar went on to live another year, and died on January 29, 2001, of serious bedsores. |