Woman must find new home to continue nursing sick birds

By Shayna Coleon
Advertiser Staff Writer

A 38-year-old woman who nurses sickly birds back to health needs to find a new home that will allow pets, a plight that one group says shows the need for a rehabilitation center for ill birds and animals in Hawai'i.

Linda Leeven was notified in mid-May that she had 45 days to remove her birds from her studio at Kuhio Ebbtide Apartments in Waikiki because no pets are permitted in the building. She now needs to find temporary homes for more than 40 birds by Monday or risk being fined until she finds a new place to live.

"It's like getting rid of a child," said Leeven, who has owned her studio for nine years. "It's just something I cannot do, so I realized I have to move."

Travis Tomono, resident manager for Kuhio Ebbtide Apartments, said the rules say no pets. "If one person has pets then everyone is going to want pets, too," he said.

Leeven, who independently works with autistic children, started to care for sick and injured wild birds in 1997 when she found a baby dove on a sidewalk in Chinatown. Now, she takes care of wild doves, sparrows and any other birds that veterinarians and others have turned in to her.

"The birds kept coming and coming when word got around that I take care of them," Leeven said.

Leeven is part of an informal group of about 10 people who use their own money to feed and care for the sick or injured birds in their own homes. When the birds are healthy again, Leeven said they release them back into the wild.

Andrea Nandoskar, a member of the network, said the group hopes to find more volunteers so other members can concentrate on raising money for the purchase of land for a rehabilitation center to care for injured or sick animals.

Nandoskar said the Hawaiian Humane Society takes in wild birds, but the agency has a limited amount of space.

Dr. Eric Ako, veterinarian for The Pet Doctor in Kahala, said each week people bring more than 100 sick or injured wild birds to his clinic, so he depends on Leeven and a network of other caretakers to house the birds.

Another veterinarian, Dr. William Myatt, at the Kokua Pet Clinic said: "The birds come in with broken wings, bite wounds, or they were hit by cars. Linda can help these birds. Otherwise, who would take these birds? Putting them to sleep is easy for everybody, but the birds should still have that chance to live."

Until Leeven can find a new place that allows pets, she hopes that people will volunteer to house her birds.

"I know my life would be so much easier," she said. "I would have more time, not to mention money. But, there's this saying that goes, 'There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart. Pursue these.' Well, I choose to pursue birds in need. They deserve the right to live as much as we do."

Anyone interested in temporarily housing a bird may call Leeven at 923-6034.