Rescued Cockatoo Won’t Leave Her Best Friend’s Side During Cancer Treatment

When the owner of an overcrowded parrot refuge passed away, 548 birds were left homeless once again. 548 birds that were already in rough shape with rough pasts. Luckily, a veterinarian and a parrot advocate came together to save as many birds as possible.

Danita Morrison runs the online shop Things for Wings as well as the parrot owner help forum, Avian Avenue. She knows far too well that exotic birds are challenging to keep. They are messy, loud, and need lots of entertainment. They also live longer lives than average pets. Some up to 80 years!

“A parrot will go through an average of seven homes in their lifetime,” Morrison told The Dodo. “They can live 80 years. They are wild animals. It’s like having a monkey.”

A really cute feathery monkey!

These birds are so smart and so clever– the traits you either love most about them or find the most challenging. Rehoming the birds is never easy. But Morrison stepped up and adopted two of them, Coco and her best friend Lucky Lou.

Coco is incredibly friendly which got her into trouble in the past. She wanted to be friends with other birds at the refuge who didn’t feel the same way about her 🙁 They didn’t treat her very nicely and would bite her. Sadly, she bears the scars of those encounters.

But then, Coco met Lucky Lou! Finally, someone accepted Coco and willingly took her into her fold. Maybe because they share a similar past. Lucky Lou is around 20 years old. She was kept by her owner all alone in a basement. She was bored and lonely and acted out. Her owner didn’t like that. He began to swear at her in frustration, teaching Lucky Lou to do the same. By the time she came to the refuge, she had pulled out most of her feathers and cursed constantly.

When Coco and Lucky Lou finally met, they formed an instant bond. It was like they needed one another, knowing that now things would be okay, especially if they stuck together!

Lucky Lou was recently diagnosed with lung cancer but Morrison is doing a terrific job taking care of her, making her life as comfortable as possible. You know who else is by her side through it all? Yup, you guessed it! Coco!

Lucky Lou gets nebulizer treatments to help her breathe and her best friend is always by her side, cheering her on!

Morrison’s third bird, Newman, is a handsome guy and Coco fell head over wings for him. Determined to add a third to their feathery fold, Coco tried to win him over with her bold dance moves. In the video below, she dances and “tells” Newman to come and get your love!

Coco and Lucky Lou now have this beautiful life, in spite of its challenges. They are now safe, loved and understood.

“People take a bird and put it in a cage and think that they’re going to be able to live a solitary life. But in the wild, birds are in flocks,” Morrison said. “The ones that are isolated are the ones who don’t survive.”

These feathery soulmates are now thriving and DANCING thanks to Morrison, Newman and a real second chance!