Mickaboo bird rescue warning and call for action

[summer_jackel]

I'd really hoped that the situation described below would have resolved before now, but it hasn't, and I would like to bring as much attention to this problem as possible.

Many of you on my friends-list are already familiar with this sad situation, but very briefly: During the course of their divorce, genmaicha surrendered three cockatiels belonging to eclipsegryph and herself to Mickaboo, the local parrot rescue, despite the fact that they had agreed that James, who loves and wants the birds, would keep them. Mickaboo is refusing to return the cockatiels to James, their rightful home and distraught owner---even in the face of vet records for the birds in his name and signed statements from two of the birds' former owners that they had given the cockatiels to Cody and James as a married couple. Under CA law, the birds are community property.

That's right---it's the sadly common scenario of one spouse disposing of the other's beloved pets to hurt him; Cody doesn't want the birds and James is very attached, so this is not a case of two spouses fighting over pets. Mickaboo has indicated that it won't return James' birds without a long, costly legal fight, and is now joined in the divorce. Mickaboo's responses to the press have been shockingly callous and unprofessional.

More complete details are to be found on this parrot_lovers community post.

The story has also been submitted to Boing Boing, which sees a lot of traffic; a posting there might really help this cause. Submissions are voted onto the site, so please take a moment to cast your vote at the boingbong submiterrator, here.

There is also a facebook page devoted to this issue.

I am horrified that an overcrowded bird rescue would keep a person's beloved pets from him in the face of a fraudulent surrender and clear evidence of legal ownership by a home who badly wants them back. I am upset that I ever supported Mickaboo. I ask that if you are a Mickaboo volunteer, please apply pressure from within for the return of Aki, Aya and Alcyone. Otherwise, please do not support Mickaboo in any way until this situation is resolved.

Comments

[furtech.livejournal.com]

Just a question/suggestion: if the birds were community property, could James file a stolen property report with the police? At least that might force the rescue to turn over documents that prove they had legal claim. Are there precedents for this? I remember hearing stories of wives in bitter divorce fights who "sold" their husband's beloved Ferrari (or 'vette...can't remember the details) for "One dollar" to the first caller to spite their husbands. Not sure how those turned out, though.

[kynekh-amagire.livejournal.com]

Eclipse called the police a few weeks after the birds were taken, once it became apparent that Mickaboo wasn't going to give them back. The response was "sorry, better things to do" -- basically, if there's a legal process already going on (the divorce, namely). Possibly if we had called them the instant we saw lomaprieta drive away with the cockatiels... but we were both kind of in "this is a terrible mistake" mode and went directly to Mickaboo first.

ETA: I should probably mention that I'm the airquotes roommate and have lived in the same house as both spouses for four years.

[corpsefairy.livejournal.com]

New link for the Submitterator page. I think it disappeared from the main Submit page because it got downvoted.

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

ok, I fixed my link, thank you!

[canineatheart.livejournal.com]

Voted!