A chance encounter with the endangered Painted cockatoo

How does a nature loving, non-birdkeeping young Aussie guy with no background in aviculture become a leading authority on the captive breeding of one of Australia's most endangered large birds?
Today's episode is truly an amazing story!
A "by chance" encounter with a pair of painted black cockatoos (South Eastern red tailed black cockatoo aka Calyptorhynchus banksii graptogyne) in a bird store back in the 1990's, set in motion a lifetime of learning and dedicated caring of this stunning red tailed black cockatoo.
Our guest today is William (Bill) Palmer - a Graptogyne custodian.
Bill's knowledge of this bird species is extensive. The Graptogyne is endangered in their homelands and their ultimate survival in the wild is precarious.  Bill has made it his life's work to raise the Graptogyne successfully in captivity so as to preserve this species DNA, allowing it to act as an insurance population, should something happen to the wild population.
Bill is one of a handful of people able to raise this peculiar species in captivity, and he is willing, in fact wanting, to share his knowledge so that it is not hidden from other people wanting to preserve this bird for future generations.  Bill has a Facebook page where he posts photos of his birds, the captive bred young and his information concerning this bird - if you are keen on seeing this very special species it is one of the few places you can see "chick" Graptogyne photos:

https://www.facebook.com/Goliath-Parrots-327128311468907

Bill's ultimate life plan is to create a sanctuary dedicated to the Graptogyne - not only providing a suitable habitat for these birds but a place of learning where interested people can learn how to care for this bird species and fortify their survival into the future.  Understandably this project requires funds so Bill has created a "Go Fund Me" project to raise some much needed funds to kick off his sanctuary plans - as the Graptogyne is a very long lived bird (but no one actually knows how long they survive in a captive setting) the birds in Bill's care currently are sure to outlive him - so he needs to future proof the Graptogyne's futures.  If you feel inclined, no matter how small the amount, please feel free to go over to this link and donate what you want.

www.gofundme.com/f/q85uk6?pc=fb_co_emailupdate24&rcid=r01-161355366193-a1e3724cd60646b3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=p_email%2B3201-24hr-reminder-v5&fbclid=IwAR3Elsu4l1ckq3WoICH_PIkgd8lBJhwY-5N-DUsAeCEE8BjhiqnpDrVf4rQ

We are certainly looking forward to the next chapter in this bird story!

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