Organizations we support
Bird and Animal Rescue Center
Local couple rehabilitate neglected animals
By: Jlona Richey
“I have loved animals as long as I can remember, and I will continue rescuing and caring for animals as long as I am able to do so,” says Casey Jones-Andrescu.
Out of Casey’s love of critters the Bird and Animal Rescue Center was born, and is now located in the heart of Anchorage. The sanctuary is also a petting zoo and educational training center. There are no other centers like Casey’s in all of Alaska, so the need for more facilities and support for the one she has created are great.
“I am originally from Turkey Creek, Kentucky, where I grew up on a farm,” she says, explaining how she developed a passion for animal care. “There, we had to provide veterinary care and medical care ourselves as best we could, since there were no animal or people doctors around.”
Casey, a petite blonde, looks every bit the working farm girl when she gives tours and teaches participants about the animals in her care.
Currently, Casey cares for ducks, chickens, pheasants, a turkey, rabbits, and a Nigerian goat named Buttercup, as well as several miniature horses and an Indian pony. Children observe these rescued and rehabilitated animals as Casey gives a short introduction to horsemanship and the feeding and caring of horses, and teaches students about how chickens lay eggs and how cow and goats give milk.
“I make it a point to bring some of the animals to shut-ins and to the institutionalized, as well,” says Casey. “[The animals] present no threat, can be hugged and touched, and don’t need to be talked to in any other way, so the nursing home clients, for instance, respond particularly well to those visits.” There is also wheelchair access at the center itself.
Casey also cares for and teaches exotic birds like parrots, which are kept in aviaries in the house. Having taught them to talk and perform some tasks and tricks, Casey visits schools and contracts for shows at children’s parties.
The Bird and Animal Rescue Center is operated solely by a small admission charge and by taking the horse and the birds to parties, and is managed entirely by Casey, with the support of her husband John. Together, they handle the rescues, training, and rehabilitation as well as socializing of all the animals. There is a great need for the shelter to expand, to branch out and establish affiliate outlets; in addition, new urban sprawl, more new rules and regulations, and conflicting zoning laws have created a nightmarish amount of paperwork that some attorneys would be reluctant to tackle. Despite these difficulties, Casey continues to keep the shelter functioning through elbow grease and determination, working hard from 6:00 am to almost midnight every day.
In Casey’s book, the animals come first, and so she keeps working to restore the trust and faith in these once abandoned, neglected, and abused animals, giving them back their confidence in people.
Casey Jones-Andrescu can be reached at (907) 333-1560.
On August 25, 2005, the Fly By Night Club will sponsor Casey’s shelter, with a percentage of the ticket sales that day going to the care and rehabilitation of the animals. Head down to Mr. Whitekey’s in Spenard to support the Bird and Animal Rescue Shelter!