While much of the media is touting Oscar the cockatoo as the world’s ugliest bird, the near-naked creature with nothing more than a tuft of feathers on her head is enchanting people world-wide by storm as she gives real meaning to the adage that true beauty comes from within.
“She looks like a bald chicken. There’s no getting away from it.” said one of her keepers, adding, “I love this bird.”
What’s even more miraculous about this special bird is that Oscar was diagnosed with Beak and Feather Disease — a virus highly contagious to other birds — and given 6 months to live. That was 12 years ago.
In a testament to the power of tender loving care, the featherless cockatoo is not only alive, but thriving, albeit still featherlessly.
The disease attacks a bird’s feather follicles, and their beaks and claws.
Oscar has never had a full coat of feathers — whatever feathers that grew would irritate her so terribly that she would pull them out. All that was left was a tiny tuft of feathers on the top of her head.
When she was rescued by the wildlife center, the veterinarians realized she could not be around other birds. They called the Broward County Humane Society shelter in Florida who took her in and has become their unofficial mascot.
“She’s a very beautiful bird if you get past her appearance.” says a handler. “Her personality just shines through.”
You have to admit, Oscar the naked cockatoo is quite unique, and once you get to know her, it’s guaranteed she will leave a lasting impression.
“She’s our little mascot.” said the handler. But she’s also their entertainer, and loves the attention she receives. Oscar is one rockin mama, as she performs a pretty mean Mick Jagger impersonation.
The feather-less underdog who’s beaten insurmountable odds has become be the star attraction of the Broward County Humane Society and always draws a crowd.
While Oscar may not be a beauty queen, what she lacks physically, she makes up for in heart and personality and her quirky sense of humor.
But it’s her voice and precious charm that sticks with you as she shows off her signing talent. It’s these sounds from a featherless bird that makes all those who meet her smile, as she enchants visitors, customers, and staff alike.
In addition to a healthy diet of bird food, Oscar also gets to eat anything she wants. Her favorite snacks include McDonald’s hash browns, egg rolls, cottage cheese with fruit mixed in, blueberry pancakes, and lollipops.
“Everybody shares her lunch with her.” says Cherie Wachter, director of marketing at the Broward County Humane Society.
While Oscar may not be very picky about her food, she is picky about her friends. Cherie says Oscar loves kids and most of the shelter’s workers and volunteers, but there are a couple of volunteers that seem to rub her the wrong way, and she simply doesn’t like them.
Cherie says as long as the disease affects only her feathers and doesn’t get worse, Oscar may be around for a long time. The average lifespan of a cockatoo can be 70 to 80 years, but there have been some reported cases of cockatoos living to be over 100.
Oscar is not up for adoption, as she already has a family at the Broward County Humane Society that loves her fiercely and cares for her vigilantly where she’s now nested for life. But there are still plenty of other precious, homeless creatures that you can adopt. Visit their website to learn more.
Beak and Feather Disease
Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease is considered fatal and often birds die shortly after showing signs of it. In some rare cases, other birds have lived months to years after contracting it, which is the case with Oscar — much to the delight of staff, volunteers and visitors.
A general progression is for the beak to deform to a point in which the bird can no longer eat and it slowly starves. Many birds die of secondary infections and illnesses that their bodies can no longer fight off. The progress of beak and feather can go on for years and is a very slow painful process.
The beak and claws are affected in opposite direction — overgrowth, malformation and necrotic tissue development. Cracking and peeling of outer layers makes it possible for fungi and yeast infections to take place and complicate matters even more. The necrosis of inner layers of the beak may cause it to break, at which point the bird will be unable to feed.
The disease also has a general immunosuppressive effect on the bird, clearing a path for secondary systemic viral and bacterial infections which are usually the cause of death, not the PBFD virus itself.
Transmission of the virus from one individual to another is primarily through direct contact, inhalation or ingestion of aerosols, crop-feeding, infected fecal material, and feather dust. The virus can also be transmitted via contaminated surfaces such as bird carriers, feeding formula, utensils, food dishes, clothing, and nesting materials. It’s said that the viral particles, if not destroyed can remain viable in the environment for months and possibly up to a year, long after the infected bird is gone.
Beak and Feather Disease can affect all Old World and New World Parrots. Visit Wikipedia if you would like to learn more about the affliction and its signs for detection.
Conflicts
While Oscar has stolen the hearts of countless people, some would argue that it’s best for both the bird and possible spread of the disease to put a bird down.
If the bird is eating well, responding well to good stimuli, and the birds’ behavior is positive, is it really right to take the choice of death into our own hands? This is a very multi-sided topic of discussion and decision. The answer to this is so multifaceted, there are no clear rights or wrongs, humane or cruelty lines.
Help for Birds
While some birds may be featherless due to PBFD virus, others have been known to pluck their own feathers due to stress for numerous reasons.
A naked bird cannot regulate their body temperature, even in summer.
One site has an answer to this — the “Sock Buddy” — a kit that you can create a sock or sweater for your precious tweets. All proceeds from the “Sock Buddy” to go the aid of rescued birds.
Oscar the Cockatoo
译文:
奥斯卡，世界上最丑陋的鸟——一只赤裸的葵花鹦鹉
很多媒体都在吹捧奥斯卡，说这只葵花鹦鹉是世界上最丑陋的鸟，这只几乎赤裸的生物除了头上有一绺羽毛之外什么都没有，它为迷人的人类世界带来了一场风暴，因为它给世界带来了真实的意义，正如谚语所说的，真正的美丽是发自内心的。
“她看起来像一只光秃的鸡。她无法摆脱这些。”她的一个饲养者补充道：“我爱这只鸟。”
更加不可思议的是这只特别的鸟——奥斯卡被诊断患有鹦鹉喙羽病，并且病毒迅速传染给其他的鸟，她还能活6个月，这已经过了12年了。
证据显示，在有力的温柔爱心照顾下， 这只光秃的葵花鹦鹉不仅生机勃勃，而且茁壮成长，尽管她的羽毛仍然很少。
这种疾病损害了鸟的皮囊，嘴和爪子。
奥斯卡的身上从没有过完整的羽毛——羽毛一长出来就会非常地刺激她，以至她把毛都拔掉。仅剩下极小的一绺羽毛长在头顶。
当她被野生动物中心抢救时，兽医认为她不能和别的鸟群居。他们让佛罗里达州的Broward County Humane Society庇护所带走她，并让她成为他们的非官方吉祥物。
“她是一只非常漂亮的鸟，如果你除去她的外表。”一个驯兽员说：“她的魅力光芒四射。”
你必须承认奥斯卡这只赤裸的葵花鹦鹉是非常罕见的，一旦你知道她， 可以保证你将会对她留下深刻的印象。.
“她是我们的小吉祥物。”驯兽员说。但是她也是他们的演员，并且喜欢被关注。奥斯卡是一个母亲，正如她扮演漂亮的米克 贾格尔。
这个羽毛少得可怜的弱者避免了难以解决的偶发事件，在Broward County Humane Society收到爱慕，并经常引起拥堵。
当奥斯卡不再是漂亮的皇后，她身体上的缺陷将由她的心灵，魅力和怪异的幽默所弥补。
但是她的声音和宝贵的魅力会吸引你，正如她展示她标榜的才能。这些声音来自没有羽毛的鸟，她让为她着迷的游客，观众看到她的微笑。
除了健康的鸟食外，奥斯卡也可以吃任何她想吃的东西。她喜欢的点心包括麦当劳的棕色肉丁土豆，蛋卷，混有水果的乡村芝士，蓝莓薄饼和棒棒糖。
“每个人都和她分享午餐。”Broward County Humane Society的市场部经理Cherie Wachter说。
奥斯卡或许不挑剔食物，但是她对朋友很挑剔。Cherie说奥斯卡喜欢小孩和大多数庇护所的工人和志愿者，但是有几个志愿者似乎与她接触的方法有误，她仅仅是不喜欢他们。
Cherie说由于疾病只影响了她的羽毛，并没有恶化，奥斯卡也许可以活得久一些。葵花鹦鹉的平均寿命是70-80岁，但是一些数据表明葵花鹦鹉的寿命可以超过100岁。
奥斯卡不愿意被领养，因为她在Broward County Humane Society已经有了一个家，大家非常地爱她，细心照顾她。但是这里仍有许多其他的珍惜动物，你可以领养这些无家可归的动物。你可以去它们的网页了解更多的信息。
鹦鹉喙羽病
鹦鹉喙羽病是致命的，鸟类经常会在发病的短时间内死去。一些罕见的例子中，有些鸟在患病后可以活上数月或几年。让员工，志愿者和参观者感到高兴的是奥斯卡就是这样的例子。
通常的发展是嘴会变形导致鸟不能再吃东西并慢慢饿死。许多鸟死于继发性传染和它们的身体不再能抵抗的疾病。嘴和羽毛的恶化会持续几年，并且恶化过程非常慢。
嘴和爪子会受反方向的影响——疯长，畸形，坏死的组织发展。表皮外部的破裂和脱落很有可能受细菌和酵母菌的传染，并使问题更加复杂化。嘴的表皮内部会受到破坏，这样鸟就不能进食了。
这个疾病对鸟也有普遍的抑制免疫力的影响，清理一部分次要的系统病毒和细菌传染，这些细菌经常导致鸟类死亡，但不是鹦鹉喙羽病。
病毒从个体传染到另一个个体主要是通过直接接触，吸入或摄入喷雾剂，农作物饲养，粪便传染和羽毛粉尘。病毒也会通过表面污染传播，如鸟类带菌者，饲养配方，用具，餐具，衣物和鸟巢。据说病毒的微粒如果不被破坏仍然能在环境中数月甚至一年，直到被传染的鸟类死亡。
鹦鹉喙羽病会影响成年鸟和幼鸟。如果你想了解鸟类的痛苦和发现疾病的迹象请浏览维基百科。
争论
当奥斯卡赢得了无数人的心时，有人争论说最好是结束这只鸟或是可能染上疾病的鸟的生命。
如果这只鸟吃得好，大众的反应好，并且鸟的行为是积极的，我们亲手毁灭它的选择是否真的正确？这个讨论与决定是多方面的。回答也是多方面的，这没有准确的对错之分，仁慈与残酷之分。
救救鸟类
当一些鸟由于鹦鹉喙羽病病毒导致脱毛，其他的鸟也会因为各种压力拔掉它们身上的羽毛。
一只赤裸的鸟无法调节体温，即使是在夏天。
一个名为“Sock Buddy”的网站回答说，你可以通过创造一套元件帮助宝贵的鸟。“Sock Buddy”的所有收益都会用于帮助营救鸟类。
Oscar the Cockatoo