Itty Bitty Buddy Bird
Christopher has a pet bird of his very own that he keeps at home. She is a small Sun Conure. Christopher says that is kind of funny, because the bird he is closest to at the Aviary is Demara, the Hyacinth Macaw, the largest bird in the flock. While the two birds that Christopher is the closest to are quite different in size, there is not much difference in their emotional bearing. Jetsunma will sometimes give Christopher a hard time for how loud his little bird is at home. But he says imagine a bird 100 times her size honking and barking and squawking, wanting his attention. That is what he has to deal with at the aviary.
Bicycles and Birds
Christopher rides a bike; and rides and rides…. “I have a Giant road bike, and I cycle a lot. I don’t really have a lot of time off, and one way that I rejuvenate myself is with hard cardiovascular workouts. On my bicycle I will take trips of 30-40 miles. Weather providing, I get about 70-90 miles a week; that has a huge effect.”
Christopher also used to touch people for a living, not parrots. “I was licensed as a massage therapist, and that entails a lot of knowledge about the bodies’ biomechanics and biochemistry. If a person works hard they produce a lot of toxins, and if you just go home at night, you’re going to keep them. People wonder why when they go to bed and wake up the next morning and don’t really feel relaxed. So you need to use your body in order to help your body. Cycling is one way that I use to get rid of the stress of this job.”
The story continues…
