Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler hangs out with new pal Hobbit, a mascot of Boston-area bird sanctuary Foster Parrots.

HOBBIT the Senegal has gone from hard times at Petco to hanging out with rock stars.

Hobbit and Foster Parrots, a Boston-area bird sanctuary that cares for him, got a public relations boost from Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler when the band came to town this summer.

Marc Johnson, director of the sanctuary, had been trying to get Tyler, who lives in nearby Marshfield, Mass., to visit Foster Parrots for over a year in hopes of receiving support from the famous rocker.

"He reaches a much wider audience that does not read the parrot magazines," said Johnson.

In late August Tyler left a message on Johnson's answering machine inviting the Foster Parrots staff to an Aerosmith concert in Mansfield.

"He said he had just seen a segment on Foster Parrots on Animal Planet's 'Wild Rescues,' and I guess he thought, 'Maybe I better contact this guy,'" says Johnson.

During the concert, a photo of Tyler with several Foster Parrots birds was projected on a 50-foot screen behind the stage along with the sanctuary's Web site address and a message urging the crowd to support parrot rescue.

Afterward, the Foster Parrots staff went backstage to meet the band and spent 45 minutes chatting with Tyler about the plight of homeless parrots.

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith charms Cuddly Boy, a hybrid macaw not always fond of strangers.

Tyler has one parrot, a cockatiel, said Johnson. "He also has turkeys and chickens. He's an animal-sympathetic person."

Tyler met several Foster Parrots birds brought backstage, including Hobbit, purchased ill from a Petco store last year, and Lola, a greenwing macaw and poster bird for "The Lola Project," a campaign to help raise funds for a new facility.

All the birds warmed immediately to Tyler, said Johnson, probably because he seemed to genuinely enjoy them.

The singer soon will take three days off from his national concert tour to visit Foster Parrots headquarters personally, said Johnson.

"We don't know where all this will lead," he said, "but we're excited."

Another "Pet Story"
Foster Parrots is not the only bird shelter to get media attention this summer. Angel, a displaced umbrella cockatoo from the Midwest Avian Adoption & Rescue Services in Stillwater, Minn., made her television debut on Animal Planet's "Pet Story" in July.

The episode, still being shown, tells the story of how Angel came to MAARS after her aggressive mate ripped off the upper portion of her beak, or maxilla. Through fundraising and a donation of time and materials by a generous Minneapolis prosthodontist, Dr. Kenneth Meyer, Angel now has a prosthetic maxilla and has been placed in a new home.

Steven Tyler (center) meets the Foster Parrots staff (from left), Marc Johnson holding Lola, a greenwing macaw; Tami Myers with Hobbit, a Senegal; Mary Margison holding Cuddly Boy, a hybrid macaw; and Karen Lee with a yellow-nape Amazon.

Fifteen more cockatoos await adoption or are in permanent sanctuary at MAARs' St. Louis Park facility, said executive director and CEO Eileen McCarthy.

The problem of homeless parrots, including cockatoos such as Angel who suffer mate aggression in captivity, continues to grow, she said.

"First and foremost, people need to do a lot of research before taking on the responsibility of caring for a parrot," said McCarthy. "And if they do decide they are ready to take on that responsibility, they should contact MAARS or another bird rescue organization to adopt rather than buy from a breeder or store."

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