By Paulo Hernandez

Town Crier Editorial Intern

About 60 very lucky birds made it out of the Croy fire along the Santa Cruz Mountains, thanks to local pet shop manager Gretta Roberts. If not for Roberts’ aid, the birds would have been in big trouble.

Shortly after the fire began last week, Roberts received a call from her friend, Cherese Duran. Apparently, Duran received a call from a woman in the Morgan Hill area needing help with a situation on her hands. The woman’s home was being threatened by the fire. An aviary in the yard of the home was in danger of going up in flames. The aviary was home to about 60 birds. There were about 40 different bird species, among them macaws and palm cockatoos. Some of the birds are endangered species. The birds are not cheap either, some of them are priced at anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000.

Fire was moving up the hill and could soon threaten the house. The birds had to be moved as soon as possible. Smoke inhalation or the actual fire would easily kill the birds. Duran got eight people together to help move the birds. This was a very difficult task considering most of the birds were breeder birds. These birds are wild birds, not pets. The birds mate and their offspring become pets. However, there was still a problem which had to be addressed before the birds could be moved. There was not a way to actually move the birds from one place to another. The homeowner had no cages and neither did Duran. This is where Roberts stepped in.

Roberts contributed all the cages which were needed to move the birds out of the aviary and to a safer location. Roberts also contributed food along with dishes and bowls to hold the food.

The birds were moved to two locations. About half the birds went to a veterinarian’s office down the road from the home in Morgan Hill. The other half went to Duran’s home. All of the birds made it out of the situation and not one was hurt. After the rescue, the volunteers gave themselves a well deserved pat on the back. “We were all so happy we didn’t lose any of the birds,” said Roberts. For now, the birds have to stay where they are. Before the birds can be moved back into the aviary, the air has to clear because it could still be a threat to them.

De Anza Pet Salon, the shop Roberts runs, is located at the Foothill Plaza Shopping Center. The salon offers pet grooming services and pet supplies. Roberts was named the “Best Pet Groomer” by the Metro newspaper in 2001.