I am Irene Lim and I am a student of H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche who has taught and inspired me to be kind to every living being including animals, or especially animals seeing that many cannot fend for themselves. In my practice of kindness I was encouraged to set up 2 vegetarian restaurants to promote vegetarianism and help prevent abuse of farm animals and livestock, which I did. Now I would like to do more and care for animals that have been forced to become toys and playthings for human being's amusement and then neglected after a while. Often the gentlest of creatures are the most abused and this is certainly true of birds.

I need your kindness and help for me to keep doing my work for orphaned and unwanted birds. Kindness has become a rare and precious 'commodity' in this fast paced and materialistic world. However, I believe that people are still inherrently kind but perhaps we all need reminders. After all, what is the point of being 'superior' if we do not use our capability to help others live a better life?

My mission is to keep caring for the birds that have been given sanctuary at Kechara Forest Retreat. They were previously abused and neglected in Pet Stores and denied the proper environment and care. Injured wild birds are also brought here and nursed back to health and released. Today there are right now at the Kechara Aviary, there are 24 birds:

Cockatiels x 17

Malaysian Parrot x 1

Rescued Blue Budgie x 1

Cockatoos x 3 (Names: Drolka, Dechog & Gonkar)

Rescued African Grey x 2 (Names: Jamyang & Aki aka “Old Man”).

All the birds in Kechara Forest Retreat aviary are fed a healthy diet and heat lamps are installed at suitable locations to provide warmth for the birds when it is cold.  They are kept enclosed to protect them from predators but still enjoy the forest environment. There are also lots of toys and mirrors to keep them active, and the floor of the aviary is soft sand to be in keeping with their natural environment. All these come at a cost and at the moment the amount is RM30,400 or USD8,000 per year.

Food Costs

Breakdown of the cost of food to feed the birds per month:    

a) Millet (a pack of 20kg) at RM80 per pack

Two packs = RM160

b)   Sunflower seeds at RM250 per pack

c) Fresh corn, apples, long beans and other veggies = RM320

Total food expenses per month is RM730 (USD218)

Therefore, a year’s supply of food would be RM8,760 or USD2,506

Other Miscellaneous Items

 a) Multivitamins to keep the birds vibrant and healthy 

This adds up to a yearly cost of RM300

b) General maintenance of bird toys, perches, special snacks (special hanging millet sprays etc). Replaced every 3-4 months.

Approximate cost per year = RM2,000.00

c) Medical costs : Approximate cost per year = RM500

d) Aviary Maintenance and Caretaker =  RM18,000

Total miscellaneous cost for a year is RM20,800 or USD5,474

My goal is therefore to raise RM30,400 or USD8,000 in Phse 1 in order to accomplish this, I need your help urgently. In addition, we are presently building a second (recovery) aviary to quarantine sick beds and to segregate birds that need to be left alone for a time, before they rejoin the general bird population. All these cost money.

Please see the video below which profiles the KFR Aviary. Help me care for more birds.
 

Thank you

See Video: