We rejoice in the arrival of His Holiness Karma Kuchen Rinpoche, the head of the Palyul lineage, at Kunzang Palyul Choling.  Yesterday was a joyous day.  Here are some photos that captured the event.

It started with chalk drawings of the eight auspicious symbols.  This is a traditional part of a greeting for a Rinpoche.

As His Holiness arrived, we tossed flower petals

We also made smoke offerings of cedar

Jetsunma and Ani Sonam awaiting the arrival of His Holiness Karma Kuchen

Welcome Holiness!

Sangha offering katas to His Holiness Karma Kuchen

Jetsunma giving a blessing to a small visitor

The sangha has been busily preparing for His Holiness’ arrival at KPC.  Here are some proof pictures of the gang at work!

Ani Samten dusting the crystal stupas in the Prayer Room

Michelle polishing the Guru Rinpoche statue on the Palyul Lineage altar.

Claire getting ready to hang prayer flags

Gonpo getting ready for a dump run

Sandy weeding the path around the Enlightenment Stupa

Baby Boomer Bird Bust Looming?

Christopher is anticipating a tidal wave coming in the next 10 or 15 years. It is thought that many baby boomers, a huge demographic, will feel that they are incapable of taking care of their parrots. So perhaps thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of parrots will need new homes. Those in the parrot rescue world are not looking forward to this, but they do want to be ready for it.

“Because we don’t have much funding and a limit on space right now, we can only take in the worst of the worst cases.” It is his hope that in the future, the aviary will have a bigger facility and more funding and be able to take in even the birds that just cause their owners “inconvenience.” He said the aviary gets a couple of calls a week saying that it is difficult for the owner to take care of their bird, they work a lot, whatever. It seems bad, but it is still a convenience problem. “We currently just take in birds that are in an emergency situation.”

Visitors At the Flight Cage:  Yes!

Christopher does not want his flock to stress out about, “Being a prey animal in a small cage, unable to fight or to flee, and having unfamiliar people walking around your cage staring at you.” He prefers not to have too many folks visit the inside of the aviary; the birds would feel trapped.

However, he welcomes visits to the outside flight cage. The flight cage is big enough so that the birds could move to the other side if they felt nervous. On most nice weather days, with the temperature above 60 degrees, Christopher brings the parrots out around noon and takes them in around 4 pm. The birds are very social when they are comfortable. Please come and say hello. Some of the birds, and perhaps even Christopher, will answer you!

To find out more about parrots or to make a donation, please visit the  Garuda Aviary website. 

Private Parrot Whisperer

When asked if he had a Facebook or My Space page, Christopher replied, “Absolutely not.” He is a pretty private person and is known as somewhat of a recluse. “I have an e-mail address, I’ve had it for about four months, and it’s the very first in my life. And I give it to no one, because chances are they will try to contact me.” When he had business cards printed when he was doing massage work, there was no phone number on them!

Dear Parrot Whisperer, I Have This Parrot That…

Christopher says, “Many people haven’t done research before they bought their parrot. They find themselves at the end of their rope with an animal they can barely take care of. In that case, I try to give advice that might make that situation easier. But my preference would be to talk with them before they bought a parrot, and hopefully dissuade them from doing so.”

He adds, “If people really feel that they absolutely need to buy a parrot, there are lots of people out there who need to get rid of perfectly good parrots. And unfortunately, for years to come parrots will be juggled from home to home here in America. At this aviary, we try to educate people that parrots do not make good pets; they should be left in the wild. Dogs and cats have had centuries of selective breeding so that we can have those animals that are best with people. Parrots do not have the benefit of that breeding. They are basically wild animals brought right into our living rooms.”

Even hand-hatched parrots have the instincts of a wild animal. What is Christopher’s advice for someone who wants a parrot? “Look for another animal. Probably 90% of people who get a parrot will want to get rid of it within three years. That is why parrots get juggled around from house to house so much. And every time that happens, it takes a huge emotional toll on the bird. What you end up with are birds that are considered unhandleable. That is where this aviary finds its niche; birds that cannot be handled by anybody else find a home here.”

Stay until tomorrow as the story continues…

To find out more about parrots or to make a donation, please visit the Garuda Aviary website. 

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…

To find out more about parrots or to make a donation, please visit the Garuda Aviary website. 

Bird Bath

Christopher uses a misting system to give the flock a much-loved “bath.” This is a great tool to shower the flock with. Christopher says the rainforest parrots, the colorful birds, especially require showers. The Cockatoos, from the Australian continent, a dryer place, are usually not quite as exuberant during showers, but they still enjoy it.

Cockatoos require a lot more water, on them, though. They have quite a lot of dander, and it’s kind of waxy. Unless he continually sprays them, the water will just roll off. The flock will sometimes line up close to him as he sprays them, some hanging upside down, and spread and flap their wings so that the water will get to all their feathers. This gang really looks forward to and enjoys their bath days!

Birds:  Beethoven or Brahms?

Do birds like music? Sure they do! Should they listen to the same music Christopher does? Not!

“I wear ear plugs when I am inside doing this job, and I will listen to music,” says Christopher. He also will sometimes play classical music for the parrots. Christopher finds the music of Ludwig Van Beethoven a bit “bombastic.” He thinks the birds prefer Mozart and Handel, and maybe Vivaldi. Somewhat more soothing and calming music. Christopher says Beethoven’s music sometimes will get real quiet and kind of lull you, and then, BAM, he hits you.  That’s when the birds start calling out. Christopher wants something more on an even keel.

As for the kind of music Christopher prefers, “I guess that I would have to say by most people’s ears, it’s just horrible, ghastly stuff; really hard music. Stuff that most people don’t even want to hear.” Some groups he likes are Deftones, Faith No More; and Wu-Tang Clan. (Note to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: He does not subject the birds to that music.)

To be continued…

To find out more about parrots or to make a donation, please visit the Garuda Aviary website. 

Bored Birds

Although the volunteers continued to perform needed tasks, it became obvious that none of them were capable of working more closely with the birds. Christopher did work closely with the flock, taking them in and out of the flight cage, and also made toys for the birds to chew on and play with. These things stimulated the birds and kept them from becoming bored, a common plight with caged parrots. These activities also kept the aviary from becoming simply a “warehouse” for parrots, just keeping the bird alive. Warehousing was something no one wanted to happen.

But still Christopher noticed as he was taking the birds in for the night, that there was still some feather plucking and fighting going on. He felt like he might want to work with the flock full time. But there was one problem: How would he pay his bills?

Balloons or Beaks?

Many people are faced with a choice at some point in their life: Do I take a job that is rewarding, or do I get paid? Christopher had a very interesting job; he was part of the ground crew for a hot air balloon tour company in Sedona. “In Arizona there is plenty of good weather for flying balloons, and they are flown at dawn. So 300 days a year, I would get up before dawn and launch hot air balloons. And that’s a pretty good job in Arizona because the weather is so conducive to flying.”

The first two years at this job he was a regular member of the ground crew. (Please don’t say: I see your job is looking up!) The next four years he was one of the tour company’s crew chiefs. He learned every detail of hot air ballooning, including completely assembling and dissembling the balloons by himself. He went up for rides at least two dozen times, because some customers cancelled, and the balloon needed a certain amount of weight to fly properly. He served as a human sandbag; good work if you can get it.

Nearing the end of his ballooning career, he knew a lot about flying hot air balloons. He was able to pilot the balloon for a few minutes a couple of times. It was his plan to get trained and certified as a pilot. This would have been a good job to have. Passengers were coming from all around the country as well as around the world. Pilots were being well tipped by their usually well-heeled customers.

Christopher was looking at a career that would have at least kept him comfortable financially. But seeing how things were progressing at the aviary and seeing how much attention the flock needed, he had to abandon the balloons and become the alpha bird. He took the job as the main parrot caretaker. Along with the job came a small salary; a very small salary.

To find out more about parrots or to make a donation, please visit the Garuda Aviary website. 

Hospital Run, Anyone?

Eventually, there was simply too much work for two people. So members of the Temple were asked to come and do some things, such as helping to clean the aviary. The volunteer staff grew, no one was yet drawing any salary. While Christopher was not officially the “head caretaker,” it was obvious that he had the greatest affinity for the birds. He was able to catch them, and handle and restrain them to do such tasks as clipping their wings and nails. Some of the volunteers would not be willing to get close to some of the birds, especially the larger ones. Those beaks could take your finger clean off!

 Christopher cautioned the volunteers to not get near the birds that they felt nervous about; the bird would pick up on that fear. One volunteer asked him if she should wear thick leather gloves when near the big birds. Christopher told her that because Macaws can bite with up to 600 lbs per square inch pressure, the gloves would only serve as a place to hold her severed finger. Christopher is nothing if not honest. That volunteer did not come back; but she can still count to ten using only her two hands. 

Another volunteer, one of the Temple monks who had a shaved head, had a bird attack his scalp. The resulting gash required medical attention. That volunteer did not come back either. Other volunteers bravely stepped in though, and the aviary continued.

To find out more about parrots or to make a donation, please visit the Garuda Aviary website. 

And this story continues tomorrow…

Just Say Yes to Compassion (But Spread Newspaper On the Floor)

A few years later, Jetsunma got another bird, a Green-wing Macaw named Hakan, who Christopher described as a “majestic” bird. He and Hakan got along well. Meanwhile, Jetsunma was doing research on how to care for her birds, and had found out about the parrot trade problem. People get parrots as pets, and then later realize how difficult they are to take care of; how high maintenance and problematic they can be.

Jetsunma was soon learning of many parrots that needed new homes. She cannot say no to a being in need, and began taking parrots into her home. In no time, the bird family grew quickly. The family, both the two-legged and winged members, moved to a different house in sunny Sedona, Arizona. A two-car garage was renovated and became an aviary, a home for the now dozen or so birds in the flock. With more space to house birds, Jetsunma continued looking for abused and neglected parrots to take in.

At this point, Jetsunma and Christopher were the only caretakers. Christopher would take the birds out to the outdoor flight cage, bring them inside in the evening, and help clean up the aviary (Oh, yeah, by the way, did you know birds were messy?). His future as a bird caretaker was beginning to take shape.

To find out more about parrots or to make a donation, please visit the Garuda Aviary website. 

 Join us tomorrow as the story continues….

Entering the Parrot Path

Kunzang Palyul Choling is also home of the Garuda Aviary, a sanctuary for abused and abandoned parrots.  This is a very special place with a caretaker that truly lives his Buddhist vows to care for sentient beings.  This is the first in a series of posts about Rigzin, known fondly as the Parrot Man.  

Christopher “Rigdzin” Zeoli was first introduced to the wonderful and sometimes wacky world of exotic birds when his mother, Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, founder of a Tibetan Buddhist Temple, got a Moluccan Cockatoo parrot named Tashi. Christopher was about 20 years old at the time and did not realize that he had just entered the Parrot Path.

Poor Tashi Bird had a problem ─ a big problem ─ she pulled out her own feathers; something parrots do when under stress. Tashi didn’t pull out just any feathers, either. She was pulling out what is called “blood feathers.” Yikes! Blood feathers are shafts full of blood, and when they are broken, they can bleed profusely and endanger the bird. In order to help Tashi, Jetsunma would restrain the bird while Christopher, using a pair of needle nose pliers, would pull the rest of the feather shaft out so that the bleeding would stop.

Christopher recalls that stressful initiation into the Parrot Path: “Now Moluccan Cockatoos are not small, they can exert enough power with their beaks to really mangle your finger. Tashi was screaming and screaming and shrieking at the top of her lungs. As I was helping Jetsunma with this every few days, I was thinking, “Boy, parrots are not for me. I’m just not into this whole parrot thing.” And who could blame him?

To find out more about parrots or to make a donation, please visit the Garuda Aviary website. 

The story continues tomorrow….