A man who "hated birds" now makes a living from his parrots - after his wife convinced him to rescue the animals. Nimal Fernando, 34, has fallen in love with the birds after his wife, Claire, 33, persuaded him to rescue Mikey - a blue and gold macaw.
His bird-obsessed wife, Claire, came across Mikey in a bad condition when she spotted a Facebook post in October 2016. She convinced her partner to take in the bird and together they nursed the parrot back to health.
The pair sought professional help to learn all about the parrots and their diets and needs. Just 18 months after taking in Mikey, they received a call about a macaw, Mia, who was caged and being maltreated - and they decided to take her on too.
Now the couple say the parrots are in great health and they run a business together offering meet and greets with the birds and selling food for the animals. Nimal, a business owner, from Harlington, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, said: “I was not sure what I was getting into. My wife is obsessed with birds, and she was the one who convinced me. Rescuing parrots can be very rewarding but it is very time-consuming and teaches a lot of patience. People think of parrots as ornaments.”
Nimal is originally from New Zealand but moved to the UK in 2014 and met Claire in March the same year. Claire has always loved birds and when she came across Mikey on a Facebook post she knew she wanted to rescue him.
After taking him in, they researched how to look after a parrot and nursed him back to health. They received a call in September of 2018, asking them to take in Mia, who was also in a bad state. The pair decided to set up a business where customers can buy raw food for their birds and have meet and greets with the parrots.
“They fly miles every day,” Nimal said. “They will scream if they are happy, frustrated, hungry, want to shower or exercise, and it is up to us to understand what their need is at the time.”
Nimal charges £35 for an interactive experience with Mikey and Mia and £45 for a meet and greet with the addition of their friends, parrots Shelby and Tommi. People can take photos, ask questions and hold them for 45 minutes.
He said: “They know when they meet new people, they get a lot of treats. Macaws should never be overly social. They are trained to be put on people - not fly from them. Mia is very picky and selective. I love that if anyone tries, she will be very hard to steal. She will give them stitches just for trying.”
