When Coco the 30-year-old cockatoo was rescued and rehomed with animal lover Danita Morrison and her husband, Brad Morrison, the little bird was determined to find a place not just in their home but in their hearts too.
“Coco’s so in your face,” Mrs. Morrison, 55, told The Epoch Times. “She’s like ‘Hey, I love you. I’m going to be involved in your life whether you like it or not.’”
Mrs. Morrison, who runs an online parrot supply store from Vancouver, has been married to her husband for the past 30 years. Due to her love for animals, Mrs. Morrison has welcomed many pets into their family home despite her husband not being a fan.
“He’s kind of fought back against it,” Mrs Morrison said “but eventually our house became an animal house. Of course, all the animals think he’s the best thing ever. He’s not into them, but they love him so much that he can’t not love them.”
The Morrison household has seven parrots, with Coco being one of their stars.
When a huge abandoned parrot sanctuary was discovered on Canada’s west coast, Mrs. Morrison answered a call for volunteers. In perhaps the largest animal rescue ever undertaken in Canada, 584 parrots were saved from horrific conditions after the founder of the sanctuary died, and the charity supporting it collapsed.
The first time Mrs. Morrison arrived at World Parrot Rescue to help, she noticed two cockatoos, Coco and Lucky Lou, huddled together, “shivering like crazy.”
“They were just cold, hungry, and sick,” Mrs. Morrison said. “I felt so bad for them, my heart broke.”
Straightaway, Mrs. Morrison knew she wanted to foster the birds.
“I felt like they needed me to give them the care that I’m able to provide,” she said.
She approached the vet in charge of the rescue and made an offer to take them in. A few weeks later, she got a call asking her to come and collect them. When she got to the vet clinic, Coco and Lucky Lou were in a large dog crate.
“They did not look cute—they were a mess,” Mrs. Morrison said. “They were plucked and bald in places and shaking. ... But I remember seeing them and thinking they were the best birds in the world.
“I thought I was the luckiest person in the world to get those two birds.
On the other hand, Mr. Morrison wasn’t so thrilled with the new arrivals.
“My husband did not know that I was taking in more birds. I already had three,“ Mrs. Morrison said. ”He found out on Facebook I was getting more birds because he saw my posts ... he said, ‘We don’t need any more birds.’”
When Mrs. Morrison brought Lucky Lou and Coco home, they had to be kept apart from the other birds, so she found them a place in her spare bedroom. Her husband was clearly not pleased.
“He opened the bedroom door, took one look at them and said, ‘Oh my God,’” Mrs. Morrison said, adding they were not attractive looking birds and appeared sickly.
When her husband asked how long they were going to stay, Mrs. Morrison reassured him that they were just fosters. Mr. Morrison was momentarily appeased, but the birds settled and made themselves at home.
Neither of the cockatoos had lived in a house for years. Lucky Lou had been in the refuge for around 40 years while Coco had lived with a family for 20 years until they gave her up and left her at the sanctuary.
“That family would actually come and visit her on some weekends,” Mrs. Morrison said, “and she cried for days after they left.”
It was hard for the birds to get accustomed to their new home with the sound of a television, vacuum cleaners, and radios—it was something they weren’t used to.
“But it was also really quiet and warm and calm at night, so they could snuggle into their cages and always have more than enough fresh food and treats,“ Mrs. Morrison said. ”Before, they had to scrounge for food.”
Shortly after arriving in the Morrison household, Lucky Lou was diagnosed with lung cancer and had breathing difficulties. Mrs. Morrison spent nine months nursing the sick bird before she died. After Lucky Lou passed away, Coco bonded more deeply with her rescuer. The two played together, and Coco became extremely curious about other things happening in the house, paying more attention to the other birds, and “showing off for the boy bird.”
“She figured out that the crazier she acts; the cuter she acts and the more dancing she does, the more attention she gets,” Mrs. Morrison said. “Coco is a performer. She puts on a big show for the males—especially my husband.”
When Mr. Morrison is sitting at the table doing puzzles or reading a newspaper, the cockatoo will go and sit with him, pretending to write.
Coco calls him “Mama” as a way of getting his attention when Mrs. Morrison isn’t around.
“She’s comical, and she loves to make people laugh. She likes to get a reaction, and laughter is one of her favorites,“ Mrs. Morrison said. ”She wants to entertain you and make you happy.”
When Mr. Morrison brings something new into the house, Coco will investigate with great excitement and enthusiasm. Describing the bird as “loyal and loving,” Mrs. Morrison said she “loves Brad.”
“Whenever he’s around, she tries to jump on him. She’s always up in his business,“ she said. ”If he’s making food, cleaning, or fixing things, she wants to be part of it. If she can’t see him, she cries so he’ll move to a spot where she can still see him.”
Since welcoming Coco into their home, Mr. Morrison’s attitude toward the little parrot has changed.
“He wasn’t really an animal person—he didn’t understand their personalities and the struggle that some go through,“ Mrs. Morrison said. ”But I think now, he sees them more as intelligent creatures rather than just pets.”
Three years ago, Coco swallowed a stick that got lodged in her bowel, making her sick. Undertaking surgery was a risk and very costly, but since the only other option was euthanization, Mrs. Morrison went ahead.
The operation was successful, but it was scary for the family to know they were close to losing Coco.
“She has enough personality to fill the house,” Mrs. Morrison said. “[Brad] definitely appreciated her more after she survived that sickness and worries about her. He’s always like, ‘Don’t let her do this; don’t let her do that.’ Before, he was oblivious, but now he’s more attuned to what things are dangerous to her.”
