Paulie has spent his life proving that resilience doesn’t always look the way we expect 🤍💛 Paulie is a handsome citron-crested cockatoo (C2) in his 40s who has been living with the effects of a devastating beak injury for more than 20 years. After becoming trapped between the bars of his cage for hours, he finally struggled free—but the force twisted his head and tore away his upper beak. If you look closely, you’ll also notice his sunken right eye. A condition that occurred during hatching or shortly afterward left him blind in that eye. Years ago, a veterinarian attempted to fit Paulie with an acrylic prosthetic beak, but he wasn’t having it. The prosthetic was removed, and Paulie adapted on his own. Today, aside from his missing upper beak and blindness in one eye, he behaves just like any other cockatoo! His lower mandible requires regular maintenance because it no longer wears down naturally, and he patiently allows it to be trimmed with an emery board. He’s weighed weekly to ensure he’s maintaining a healthy body condition and happily eats a pellet diet, using his tongue and lower mandible to crush each pellet before swallowing it. Friendly, curious, confident, and full of personality, Paulie reminds everyone who meets him that disabilities don’t define a life. This week, Paulie visited The Gabriel Foundation with the person who has loved and cared for him for many years. Because of declining health, most of her flock has already returned to our care, while Paulie has remained with her because of his specialized needs. One day, he too will return to TGF. Her generosity will continue helping parrots long into the future through a planned gift to the foundation. Watching them together reminded us that resilience isn’t found only in birds—it’s also found in the people who love them. ❤️ #thegabrielfoundation #citroncrestedcockatoo #cockatoo #specialneedsanimals