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Charity Spotlight: Wild About the Wild Bird Fund

When we think of the hustle and bustle of New York City and the animals that live there, what comes to mind? Well-groomed poodles? Pizza Rat? Along with its 8.6-million human residents, there are a whole lot of wild creatures in need of care and protection from the booming city.

Every month, Brown Paper Tickets selects a recipient for a one-time donation from a list of our user’s suggestions. Our latest recipient, the Wild Bird Fund stood out because it is a steward for wildlife in New York City. They see the beauty in pigeons, educate children to live in harmony with wild birds, and care for injured animals. They report that 90% of the animals brought to them are “directly or indirectly injured by human activity.”

The Wild Bird Fund can be found on the Upper West Side, a block from Central Park. They share on their site: “Located in the heart of the concrete jungle, the Wild Bird Fund provides the necessary medical and rehabilitation services for injured, sick, and orphaned wildlife found in New York City.”

If you have a minute (or maybe an hour…) check out their current patients.

The Wild Bird Fund shares a lot of interesting information on each highlighted success story. Here’s our favorite.

The Ruddy Duck, Light Weight Champ:

After surviving a rubber band assault and a dog attack (!!!) he was found in Brooklyn and brought to the Wild Bird Fund Rehabilitation Center.

A fighter at heart, he hissed at and tried to bite his caretakers and even escaped his cage during his stay—a good reminder that these wild animals are not pets. When he was eventually back in the pond at Central Park, he was in the right place.

Since it’s spring and wildlife is emerging, we thought it would be good to share some hot tips from Wild Bird Fund:

  • Fears of disease transmission from pigeons are largely unfounded. Most pigeon diseases only transmit to other birds, not to people. All you have to do is wash your hands.
  • Return fledglings and nestlings to their nests.
    “It is a myth that a bird will reject a baby because it was handled by humans. Don’t bird-nap!”
  • If the baby bird has feathers and is hopping on the ground, this is normal behavior. The parents are still feeding it.

If you love birds and appreciate the Wild Bird Fund, check out ways to get involved.

Photo Credit: Fred Cohen Photography

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Featured Non-Profit: Kiva

As you probably know, Brown Paper Tickets is a ticketing company. We sell tickets all over the world to events and have an unbelievable list (in my opinion) of free services and tools for event producers to put their events together. What you may not be fully aware of is this whole other branch of the company that is very involved in giving back to our communities. This is the realm I am fortunate enough to be immersed in.

One of the most recent additions to our company’s giving came from the Marketing and Communications team. The VP of Marketing and Communications, Kelsye Nelson, was given a budget of $25 a month to take her staff out to lunches or coffee, so instead, in the spirit of Brown Paper Tickets, she and her team decided to vote on one person a month who they feel has been rocking their job and exhibits the essence of Brown Paper Tickets. This month I was honoured with their votes. As the winner of  the grand prize, I get to choose who the money goes to this month at Kiva. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWgAEJE1FuM]
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