Interview with Wildlife Wendy & Her Tropical Birds

“In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.” Baba Dioum, 1968.
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​I am so excited because I am here with a very dear friend of mine, Wendy Horton of Wildlife Wendy. Wendy, thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk to me. Many people don’t know this but since I was a kid, I’ve always been fascinated with birds.  so, please tell me how you get started training birds?   
I’ve been a professional animal trainer since 1990. I studied at Moorpark College’s Exotic Animal Training and Management program in Moorpark, CA. It’s a two-year program that has a teaching zoo. I had courses in animal science, zoology, animal training, public speaking, veterinary fundamentals, horticulture, zoo, park design. It was a very comprehensive program. My goal was to work with marine mammals as I had just worked the summer with dolphins and sea lions at Cedar Point. Once I was in the program, I found birds and primates to be my favorite.  
Have you ever trained other animals? 
The first animal I ever trained was my dog. I have worked with a variety of animals such as lions, tigers, chimpanzees, capuchin monkey, dolphins, sea lions, pigs, camels and birds of prey. 
What types of birds are in your show? 
All of my birds are parrots. I have Macaws, Yellow-naped Amazons, an African Grey, and a Cockatoo.
 What are the names of your birds? 
"Shasta" is the Shamagold Macaw, "Halo" is the Catalina Macaw, "Pepper" and "Dixie" are the Yellow-naped Amazons, "Wazoo" is the African Grey and "Kaspar" is the Goffin’s Cockatoo.  
How long does it take to train a bird to perform a trick? 
With prop tricks such as riding a scooter or dunking a basketball can take anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks. Getting the bird to speak on cue can take up to a year. 
How many different tricks can your birds perform? 
My macaws can perform about 7 tricks in the show. My Amazons do a few words and singing, my Cockatoo free flies to volunteers in the audience, speaks, and plays basketball. We call him our “triple threat!” and my African Grey performs 17 vocals in the show.  
Which is easiest to train, a male or a female bird? 
It really doesn’t matter, they both learn at the same pace. Prop tricks are by far easier to train than free flight or vocal behaviors. 
What is the theme of your show and do you ever change up the act? 
My show set is a tiki theme. From time to time, I do a pirate theme act. People always ask me if I do Renaissance fairs. I just can’t! The customs they wear look so heavy and hot! No thanks! 
What’s the most memorable experience you had while performing? 
I was performing at Six Flags New England for a summer season. During my very first show, a drunk woman came up to me and said she can do bird calls. The rule that I learned in Improv is "Always reply, never deny and never ask why." So I let her do some bird calls in the mic and then politely told her that I would talk to her later. 
Wow! How weird? 
Yeah, after doing that show, I insisted on having an usher at my stage. 
Has a bird ever upstaged you (on purpose)? 
All the time! "Shasta" (Macaw) loves to hang by his beak on his perch behind me, when people just start laughing, I know it’s not because I made a joke. Kaspar (Cockatoo) every now and then, likes to fly up to a tree instead of flying to the volunteer. That’s always the most memorable part of the show for the audience! 
Has an act ever gone not as expected? 
Yes! Kaspar is a prime example. Live animal shows always has an element of surprise. 
What do you enjoy most about working with birds? 
Their personalities! They are each unique and I have a special bond with each of them.  
Have you or your birds ever appeared in movies or talk shows? 
The first talk show that I was on was The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. We’ve appeared on the Howie Mandel Show, Donny & Marie, Soap Talk and Ellen DeGeneres. “Kaspar” was in the film "Being John Malkovich" with Cameron Diaz and John Cusack. We’ve also done TV shows such as "Grace under Fire," "Even Stevens," "Extreme Gong Show," "Pet Star" (animal planet), "Pet Stars" (Netflix), "America’s Got Talent," Nickelodeon’s "Unleashed" and "Halo" was in a Geico commercial with a pirate (Google Geico Parrot). I love working on set, it’s a vibe!  
How cool!  What’s the one thing you learned about birds that you never expected to learn?  
Their attitude can change in a heartbeat! Sweet and cute one minute and then a snippety snap the next minute. They keep me on my toes! 
Where can people catch one of your shows? 
We perform around the country at Fairs and Festivals. We also do private parties, schools and libraries in California. My 2025 Fair schedule so far:
Jackson Co. Fair - Central Point, OR 7/15-20
Richland Co. Fair - Sidney, MT 7/30-8/2
North Texas State Fair - Denton, TX 8/15-24
Georgia National Fair - Perry, GA 10/2-12 
As more dates roll in, I will post on my Instagram: Wildlife Wendy
Website: www.wildlifewendy.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewildlifewendy
Instagram: 
https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fwildlife_wendy%2F&is_from_rle
Wendy, it’s been a pleasure talking to you and learning more about your tropical birds!
Be sure to check out Wendy Wildlife Demo Reel on YouTube: ​
https://youtu.be/9OT4ZVvIpw4?si=x9s77NJJsnh2-o6r

​Peace,
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