If a child goes missing, the police force and volunteers kick into action immediately. I don't know what it's like to lose a child, but I know how painful it was/is to lose Kizzy. I was in shock and my brain wouldn't work. Had my family not helped, I doubt there would have been a search that first day. I was physically and emotionally unable to do what needed to be done or to think of the best plan of action.
The 911 Parrot Rescue group is helpful, but I'm wondering if more could be done.
Random Thoughts:
1) Prevention protocol check-off list.
I can think of one thing. Kizzy should have been in her cage every single time the door opened. It took me a long time to get Kizzy used to the cage, so I didn't even think of it as an escape prevention measure. She had me trained to not put her in there. She didn't consider it her home and wouldn't go inside on her own. No matter how upset she got, she needed to be caged for her own protection during certain times. It seems obvious now, but if you've ever had a bird who hated to be caged, you know how difficult it can be to stop everything and make her do something she hates simply to open a door. I finally had putting her away down to a science and could do it when I needed to, but I was still thinking of it as a last resort rather than an important tool.
2) Emergency kit.
This should include things to do immediately, people to call, people to email, etc. It could be helpful to have a recording of the parront's voice / parrot's voice on hand as well as a speaker to blast the sound.
3) A list of people who might be able to help look.
The last one is what I needed more than anything those first few days. A person in shock cannot coordinate a search. That's why I was thinking it might be important for parronts to record their voices / parrots' voices now and upload them as a YouTube video or other easily accessible file. Maybe a downloadable mp3 would be better. Perhaps someone could keep a database of such recordings. Searchers could play the recording on their smartphones, hopefully with the help of an amplified speaker. That way, if the parront was too sick to think, there could still be a halfway decent search.
Also, because I live in a rural area, there aren't many other parronts around. I would have appreciated the efforts of anyone who showed up, but I couldn't coordinate the search.
These are just some random thoughts. I'm still too messed up to think clearly. Maybe with more help I could have found Kizzy. Maybe not, but it's the one thing I feel could have changed the outcome.
I'm still hoping someone has her and will give her up for the reward money. Hopefully, she has asserted herself by now and is drawing blood. She's personable, but won't stay that way if she isn't handled correctly. A person getting bitten on a regular basis might decide it's time to take the reward. If you're alive, Kizzy, bite HARD.
