There are many things that Layla the Senegal parrot likes about her new home in Portland, Oregon. First, her new family member, Ute Luppertz. Lots o’ love there. Second, all the groovy tunes that play day in and day out. Ute found that Layla likes listening to music, so she plays everything from chants to Indian music. Very cool. But perhaps best of all, Layla loves the fact that there are NO ceiling fans!

You see, Layla and ceiling fans don’t exactly get along. She came to Best Friends (her name back then was Maxine) after she’d crashed into a ceiling fan and broke a wing. Ceiling fans can be fatal to birds. Layla was pretty shaken up by the accident, but it didn’t take long for her to warm up at Best Friends. Soon she was a happy, chatty gal looking for new pals.

Which is how she found Ute. Ute was at Best Friends attending a TTouch training seminar. She stopped at Feathered Friends one afternoon and met Layla. Before that day, Ute had never even touched a bird before. Yet she describes how she and Layla connected almost at once. "It was magical," she says. She held Layla for several hours, petting her, furthering the connection. After sleeping on it and spending more time with Layla the next day, Ute’s mind was made up. She wanted to adopt her.

"So. Um … guys? How do you take care of a bird?" Ute didn’t know a thing about caring for parrots, but the staff spent a lot of time helping her through it and answering questions. Ute first went home and bought the necessary supplies. Then she was ready for her new soul mate. Nowadays, they are quite the inseparable pair. Ute says that Layla loves people and shows off for strangers at every opportunity. While life might’ve been kinda bleak after the accident for a little while, it seems like Layla has finally hit her stride. Congrats!

Story by David Dickson
Photo by Molly Wald

If you'd like to know more about how to take care of parrots, please click here. http://www.bestfriends.org/theanimals/petcare/birds.cfm Or, to learn how you can adopt a parrot from Best Friends, please send an e-mail to birds@bestfriends.org.

For this story and other great "Sanctuary Stories" go to the Best Friends web site HERE