The Birds of Pandemonium
Life Among the Exotic & the Endangered
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- $2.99
Publisher Description
The founder of a rare bird sanctuary shares a look at the lives of exotic birds and the people who care for them in this "anecdotal, entertaining memoir" (Publishers Weekly)
Michele Raffin is the founder of Pandemonium Aviaries, a conservation organization dedicated to saving and breeding birds at the edge of extinction. It is home to some of the largest populations of rare species in the world. And their behavior is even more fascinating than their glorious plumage or their songs.
Among the many avian characters we meet are Sweetie, a tiny quail with an outsize personality; Oscar, a Lady Gouldian finch who finds a way to reach the highest perches of his aviary to roost despite not being able to fly; and Amigo, an Amazon parrot with a surprisingly rude vocabulary. These birds fall in love, mourn lost loved ones, share jokes, feel jealous—and sometimes even murder each other.
Ultimately, The Birds of Pandemonium is about one woman's crusade to save precious lives, bird by bird, and offers insights into how following a passion can transform not only oneself but also the world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Raffin, Avicultural Bulletin columnist and founder of the Pandemonium Aviaries bird sanctuary, describes the trajectory of her accidental career as a breeder of endangered species in this anecdotal, entertaining memoir. In 1996 a random encounter and subsequent rescue of a wounded dove on the Lawrence Highway led Raffin to Louis Brown, a local bird breeder, who took Raffin and her newfound avian interest under his wing. At the time, the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 had given rise to a surfeit of homeless doves and pigeons throughout the U.S. (in the words of the author, "From the late 1990s until around 2010, it was raining birds,") many of which Raffin went on to adopt. She recounts her experiences over the years providing shelter to a of variety birds, including a red-headed, potty-mouthed Amazon parrot called Amigo, a quail named Sweetie, and Harli and Peeki, a pair of gay lorikeets. Raffin's passionate advocacy for birds is reminiscent of Jane Goodall's support for great apes. The author emerges as a knowledgeable and, above all, endearing champion of animals, who practices what she preaches.
