ManitobaDozens of birds have been rescued from a Winnipeg home after enduring weeks of neglect, officials say.Nearly 45 animals survived after more than 70 found, animal services saysArturo Chang · CBC News · Posted: Nov 13, 2025 6:29 PM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The city’s animal services department said it found more than 70 birds that had been neglected for weeks at a Winnipeg home Wednesday afternoon. (Winnipeg Animal Services/Facebook)WARNING: This story contains details of animal neglect.Dozens of birds have been rescued from a Winnipeg home after enduring weeks of neglect, city officials say.Winnipeg’s animal services department said in social media posts Wednesday evening that 70 birds were found at the home, many of which had died due to starvation or were severely underweight.”We are now caring for 43 birds at our facility,” the post said. “After eight hours of ‘all hands on deck,’ each bird now has a clean house, food and clean drinking water.”The birds are not ready for adoption, and a team of veterinarians is helping care for them and assessing their recovery, the post said.Several birds were underweight, animal services said. (Winnipeg Animal Services/Facebook)That includes staff from Grant Park Animal Hospital.Dr. Jonas Watson, the hospital’s co-owner, said he suspects this was a situation involving “an overwhelmed caregiver.””[It’s likely] someone who probably liked having pet birds and collecting them, but who had become overwhelmed and was no longer able to provide them with even basic levels of sanitation and proper nutrition.”City needs exotic pet limits: vetWatson said the seized birds were a wide range of species, including budgies, cockatiels, finches and canaries, but all were in poor condition.Cases like this involving exotic animals happen regularly, he said, and he wants the city to at least put limits on the number of exotic pets that can be kept in a single home, similar to existing limits for dogs or cats.”Birds are not easy pets to keep. They’re not beginner pets,” Watson said. “They have complex needs. They need space to be able to spread their wings, perhaps even fly. They have specific nutritional needs that are often not met, and they’re very long-lived.”Animal services said while its facility is not set up to care for this many animals, the department is making space so they recover.It’s asking the public to donate working bird cages and for volunteers to assist with daily care.With files from Brittany Greenslade
Dozens of birds rescued from Winnipeg home after weeks of neglect
