When firefighter Brian Wilson retired in 1995, he planned to fill his days teaching fire and public safety classes to children. He liked to bring along his three parrots for these public appearances; he found the birds were a crowd-pleasing way to deliver the message. He even taught his green-winged macaw, Rocco, to stop, drop, and roll.

But a devastating car accident left Wilson with serious and permanent injuries that upended his life as well as his retirement plans. He has since regained his ability to walk and talk, and he credits his birds with the progress he’s made.

“My parrots rehabilitated me,” Wilson says. “With what they did for me, I want to rescue every bird I can and make them