We would like to dedicate this page to our most loved creature teacher RICO the blue crowned conure who's spirit has taken wing 10-20-05. His story began as an hatching almost 25 years ago when he was hatched and raised by an elderly woman who loved wildlife and had feeders around her yard to attract birds. She was the first thing he saw and from that point he was imprinted and thought of himself as a human. One day when RICO was watching the birds outside at the feeders they took flight and he decided to go with them. However he hit the bay window causing him to severely injure his right wing and had to be removed to save his life. From that day he would no longer fly! Flying is the most important adaptation that a bird has but now he needed to be carried around. He became bored and later developed a syndrome of plucking out his feathers. Because he no longer looked like a pretty bird so his owner gave him up. He was given to the creator of the Central Wisconsin Wildlife Center who ran a hospital for injured wildlife. In 1995 while working as the education coordinator for the CWWC I met RICO. He was a ruff and tuff little green bird that controlled a house with many cats and a dog who dare not mess with him. In 1999 the center's founder offered me 3 birds to be part of my Rain Forest education program. Along with RICO came a wild caught Orange-Winged Amazon from Brazil named ZACK who like to fly over the crowds but didn't trust humans and a loud young wild caught male Moluccan cockatoo who was part of a zoo's breeding program with his mate named Cochise. All 3 where the best of buddies. For over 10 years he has entertained and educated school kids for his other owners and Nature's Niche. He was best known for his energy, life story, dancing to oldies rock and roll, a special bow for the crowd at the end of the program and his likeness to "Pauly". He believed that he was the star of the program and we will never forget him! We set up the RICO FUND to help other injured or exotic birds.
*Sept. 2006 we welcomed a new CREATURE TEACHER made possible by the RICO FUND - Charlie- The Spectacled Amazon. He is a smart bird with a 25-30 phrase vocabulary and has been in education shows from a wildlife hospital in Florida. He greats you every day with good morning angels.
Crackers- 5-07 The Monk Parrot. She was adopted because her owners were moving away. Crackers does many fun tricks like dancing to whistles and raises the roof. He loves to be with you and lands on your head for a ride or to see what you are eating. Cracker past on in 2008 after a fight with Ruby. Ruby was jealous because Charlie and Crackers lived in harmony with each other but she saw Charlie as her mate. (Which are also green.)