Fostering 48 parakeets: Alaska’s senior boom strains bird rescue groups

A handful of the nearly 30 parakeets that Karen Rappe is fostering in her South Anchorage home on June 24. 2026. To apply to adopt a bird, contact the Alaska Bird Club.
Parakeet cages filled a room in a modest house in South Anchorage. The birds’ chattering and chirping mixed with country music coming from a boombox below the cages.
As the music swelled at the refrain “Somebody pour me a drank” the birds’ chirping increased, followed by loud squawks.
The sound keeps them