People flock to adopt rescued parakeets

Less than two hours after the Seattle Animal Shelter opened Wednesday, 110 parakeets rescued from a one-bedroom apartment had been adopted.

A line of about 35 people waited for the noon opening, bringing cages required for free adoption of the bright, multicolored birds.

"The community's response to this need has been the most tremendous response I've seen in my 17 years here," shelter Executive Director Don Jordan said.

The response also helped set a single-day adoption record at the shelter. Late Wednesday, officials said 110 parakeets, including those initially taken to a veterinarian, were adopted along with one cat and one rabbit.

Seattle resident Carol Sublett and her 19-year-old son, Rory, had wanted a bird for years and said they knew they should arrive early.

Ahead of Sublett, Anne Totah had the same thought as she went to buy a bird cage from Petco. Totah said the white, green and yellow parakeets she picked out would be taken care of by her 8-year-old, Katy.

Ken Feller, 36, said he'd name one blue and gray parakeet Seahawk Jr. and let his two young sons pick out names for two others they adopted. When he left the shelter about 1 p.m., only 31 parakeets remained and a single-hour adoption record had been set.

"When my wife gets off work, we're going to buy toys for them," said Feller, who lives in West Seattle.

"It was sad to learn how they were kept in such a small cage in poor conditions."

Tuesday morning, a humane law enforcement officer discovered 110 parakeets -- officially known as budgerigars -- in an apartment in the 4200 block of Ninth Avenue Northeast.

An officer noticed the birds, which are about 6 inches long, through a window when taking care of a cat in the same complex.

Jordan said the former owner would not face animal-cruelty charges because he was cooperative, but officers plan to meet with him periodically to make sure he is taking care of other birds he still has.

Officer Neil Deruyter took 10 of the birds to a vet Tuesday morning. "This is incredible," Deruyter said, making his way through a line of about 50 adopters during Wednesday's peak. "There are way more people here than we expected."

About a dozen people with cages did not get parakeets after the 100th bird was adopted at 1:36 p.m., and the "phone is still ringing off the hook," Officer Susan Adams said. However, cats and other small animals also were adopted Wednesday.

Sally Sullivan and her husband drove from Port Orchard, and after initially being told the birds were gone, learned that one male remained.

"I'm going to name him Peppy," she said, relieved that she could rescue the bird with blue and gray tail feathers. "It was a long trip, but it was definitely worth the drive."