Junior volunteers help at
World Bird Sanctuary

Miranda, Joseph and Emily Hoffmann are getting an early start at helping care for exotic wild birds and animals. They are junior volunteers at the World Bird Sanctuary.

(For more about birds, check the Bird Trivia game in Fun/Games section.)

Eight-year-old Miranda and five-year-old twins Joseph and Emily are children of Joe Hoffmann. Because their dad is the sanctuary manager, the Hoffmann kids are volunteering earlier than other kids.

But, they aren't the only youngsters helping at the sanctuary. Youth volunteers assist in caring for sanctuary's exotic birds, tortoises and snakes. They also help the staff put on wildlife shows at schools and zoos.

Miranda said she's posed with snakes, lizards and even a tarantula spider.

Emily and Miranda with running ducks

Last summer, Emily sang "God Bless America" at the start of a bird show. There were over 100 people in the audience. All three are regular helpers at shows.

They and other youth volunteers help prepare food for the birds. Miranda said they chop up fruits and salads for the birds.

The young volunteers also clean the birds' living quarters and bring them fresh water. Emily said, "You pour dirty water in a slop bucket and put in clean water."

The younger volunteers can't interact with birds of prey such as eagles, ravens, vultures. However, they can feed the chickens and other smaller birds.

If you'd like to be a youth volunteer, you can check out the sanctuary's website at www.worldbirdsanctuary.org. Or you can call for information at (636) 225-4390.

Regular youth volunteers start at 13 years of age. Volunteers must be 16 years old before they can interact with the raptors, or birds of prey.

The Hoffmann kids like to talk to the birds. Joseph said he can imitate the hoot of an owl and the howl of a coyote. But, the imitation that gets the biggest response in the sanctuary building is the call to the kookaburra.

Joseph with exotic chicken

That's a small bird from Australia. It may be small but its call is big--really big. When Joseph made that call, everyone covered their ears when the kookaburra answered.

Most of the birds at the sanctuary have names.

The Hoffmann kids call all Great Blue Herons by the name of George.

Miranda made up the name George when she and her dad were on a Current River camping trip. Miranda was just five at the time. They saw a lot of blue herons on that trip.

The sanctuary's barred owl is named Ibo. The kids believe he recognizes his name when they call.

Emily likes to keep company with a pheasant at the sanctuary. She sits with him and often puts some of the pheasant food in her pocket to remind her of the bird.

The kids also know lots of things about the birds. Some stuff is really gross.

When it comes to being gross, the bird that comes to their minds is the vulture.

Father Joe has created a vulture song that the kids sing at school shows. It's one of 15 bird songs Joe has written to be used during school and zoo shows.

One line in the vulture song tells how they protect themselves from their enemies. When faced with danger, the vulture vomits in the predator's face. He also cools himself in the hot weather by peeing on his own legs.

When working with the chickens, the kids not only get to feed them but they collect the eggs. One breed of South American chickens at the sanctuary lays green-shelled eggs, just like the title of Dr. Seuss' book, "Green Eggs and Ham."

The kids also can work with Runner Ducks, a bird from India. These ducks stand up very straight when they walk and run.

The World Bird Sanctuary was started in 1977 by Walter C. Crawford Jr. of St. Louis. He's still the director.

Crawford formerly worked at the St. Louis Zoo. He was encouraged to start the sanctuary by Marlin Perkins, who was then the Zoo director. Perkins became world-famous with his wildlife series that ran on television for years.

The sanctuary helps to rehabilitate wild birds who have been wounded or hurt. It also breeds rare exotic birds. The sanctuary's education department puts on public shows.

One other sanctuary activity is very unusual.

They are hired by airports around the world. The staff brings their birds of prey to chase away native birds nesting near the runways. If birds are sucked into the jet engines, they can cause the planes to crash.

Joe Hoffmann said, "If we put a falcon or hawk in the air, the other birds leave....fast."