WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — All sorts of birds are welcome at Avian Sanctuary and Protection in West Valley City — it doesn't matter where they're from.
"Some of them are missing toes. We have pigeons completely missing a leg but they're able to hop around," Richard Nowak, the founder and director of Avian Sanctuary and Protection, said.
The sanctuary rescues and rehabilitates birds, going through about 300 pounds of food a day to keep them fed.
One of those birds is Derbo, a goose who lost most of his beak two years ago after a dog attacked him. "When he first came in, I was actually kind of skeptical that he'd be able to survive," Nowak said.
Nowak named him Derbo for a reason. "Because of that severe injury that he survived, he's durable," Nowak said.
Now, students at the University of Utah have designed a custom prosthetic beak that the sanctuary says could help his quality of life. But the beak needs to be surgically installed, and the procedure will cost about $2,000.
"You know, he's a living animal. You don't just put something down because it has an injury," Nowak said.
Nowak said the sanctuary decided to give Derbo every opportunity. "We thought we'd give Derbo a chance; he's actually a trooper. He's learning how to survive," Nowak said.
To help Derbo, you can visit here.
