ABOUT Us
When Valentina and her dad moved from the United States to Costa Rica in 2009, little did she know it would lead to a life-changing journey to save Costa Rica’s parrots!
Her love for parrots began before the move when she had worked at a pet store in the United States where she purchased an African Grey parrot she named Ujoo – this little fellow captured her heart and sparked her love for all exotic birds. Once settled in Costa Rica, she stumbled upon a breeding facility and purchased a Scarlet Macaw.
The poor conditions at the facility, and the level of neglect that their birds suffered, had a big impact on Valentina. She left wanting to learn more about the proper care of birds, so she spent a considerable amount of time volunteering at a local rescue center and visiting several others. This is how she discovered the direction she wanted her life and career to take!
Valentina started researching parrots and meeting with government officials, biologists, and other rescue center experts.
She quickly realized that, though there were several rescue centers for the endangered macaws, none existed for the Yellow Nape Amazons. This species became critically endangered primarily due to the destruction of their natural habitat and the illegal removal of their chicks for the pet industry.
Valentina knew Costa Rica needed a program concentrating on the rescue and rehabilitation of the Yellow Nape Amazons as well as other parrots – and so the Parrot Rescue Center of Costa Rica was born, receiving their license to legally operate as a rescue center in April of 2013.
OUR Mission
Locals poach baby chicks and sell them illegally as pets to oftentimes unaware owners. The PRC has gone door-to-door to educate the community on proper parrot care. We seek to expand our efforts to elementary and middle school children. By educating children on the ecological imperative of leaving parrots in the wild, they learn about the interconnectedness of the environment in context of the incredible biodiversity of Costa Rica. With increased awareness, the demand for illegal parrots should decrease with future generations of pet owners.
Deforestation is a consequence of agricultural expansion in a developing world country such as Costa Rica. In addition, during the poaching process, trees are felled to gain access to parrot nests. Widespread loss of their natural habitat has caused two parrot species to become endangered. Over the past 8 years, the PRC initiated reforestation efforts at our current one-acre facility, planting 30 fruit trees, 20 seed trees and 30 trees of species that are preferred for parrot nesting. PRC wants to expand their reforestation efforts, planting thousands of native trees and plants, as well as fruit and seed trees. We also hope to initiate a breeding program for the endangered Yellow Naped Amazons.
In Costa Rica, it is estimated that one in every four households owns an illegal parrot. Though MINAE has the authority to confiscate these parrots, they often can not, even for those in the worse conditions, due to the lack of capacity at their partner rescues. The PRC wants to construct new facilities to house hundreds of additional parrots. In 2021, the PRC made the big move to the new, 17 acre property in Sabalito, Coto Brus to allow for the expansion of the parrot rescue facilities. One of the main future goals is to develop a breeding center on site for the endangered Yellow Naped Amazons.