In Memoriam
At NYCAS, we do our best to give each individual intensive care in support a long and healthy life. Each passing is felt deeply and their memories live on in those they leave behind.
Prospect
Prospect embodied elegance and poise and was one of the quiet leaders of the NYCAS crew. Wandering Mount Prospect Park next to the Brooklyn Museum for a solid scorching week in 2017, Prospect quickly settled into her new brownstone home upon rescue. She was a white leghorn, the top breed exploited in the egg industry, but she was found with a numbered metal band around her leg, indicating she may have actually begun her life in vivisection, where leghorns are among the most experimented on chickens. At NYCAS, she was so much more than a number and brought grace, calm, and a quiet ferocity to our home. She joined the sanctuary on June 13, 2017 and passed on July 21, 2021 at about six years of age. Prospect’s death was a true shock, as she experienced an abrupt aneurysm during a routine vet visit.
Winslow
Despite their desire to peck, Winslow was one of the sweetest little snugglers you’d ever meet! Once an NYC street pigeon, they were seemingly hit by a car and left with severe nerve damage down the entire left side of their body, creating chronic balance difficulties. Winslow’s life was saved by a well-meaning man who unfortunately exhibited hoarding tendencies and eventually surrendered Winslow to NYCAS. To compensate for their bad balance, Winslow relied heavily on their beak and they used it to cling to anything or anyone stabilizing. They loved face scratches, beak kisses, and hanging with the flock on sunny days in the yard. They joined the sanctuary in August 2019 and passed away on June 4, 2021 in a horrible freak accident during a storm. Winslow is mourned deeply and will forever have the honor of being the pigeon who made NYCAS start caring for pigeons.
Mary
In the summer of 2020, a family bought several baby chickens and turkeys with the intent to slaughter them. Mary, born with a birth defect that made her unable to stand, was surrendered to our friend Justine (who later founded Mary and Boonter Aquarium Fish Sanctuary). Justine worked to rehabilitate Mary before Mary headed to the sanctuary. Mary loved her pigeon friend Winslow, her chicken friend Monica, and daily snuggles with her human. Mary passed away in bed in March 2021, likely as a result of her compromised immune system.
Cecilia
Shy and reserved, Cecilia was a gentle soul. Just before a blizzard in February 2018, a well-meaning man bought Cecilia and several other domestic birds from a Queens slaughterhouse, then dumped them in a public park. Had they not been rescued, Cecilia and the other quails, Stanley and Bernard, would have perished in the storm. Cecilia was a coturnix quail, the type of quail used both in the quail egg industry and for slaughter. She was the life mate of Stanley, who was devastated by her passing in November 2020.