Fargo women who rehabilitates birds is forced to stop

Fargo, ND (WDAY TV) - If you walk into Mary Grinde's north Fargo home, proud parrots and crazy cockatoos will greet you with a noisy chorus of bird howdies. Mary is known as Fargo’s bird lady, but she says the state of North Dakota has robbed her of her passion, rehabilitating injured birds that people drop at her doorstep, the story from WDAY 6 Reporter Kevin Wallevand.

Birds are Mary Grinde's life. No booze or cigarettes, she says, just birds.

She's had hombre the parrot for 30-years. Q-tip and Moe, cockatoos she helped nurse back to health. In addition to the parakeets and parrots, Mary Grinde, the bird lady, is known for helping save injured robins, wrens, grackles, and finches.

“Just my thing why do these birds that fall out of the tree have to suffer.”

But the US Fish and Wildlife service got wind of Mary’s bird hospital and shut her down. Fining her, even taking a baby robin she was treating.

But State Game and Fish, which licenses bird rehab volunteers in ND doesn't want any bird or animal lover to start taking in and treating wild animals, even if they are simple songbirds.

“The mindset is to have someone who is an expert in the field of wildlife disease and wildlife like a vet. Most qualified, not necessarily just someone who loves animals.”

For Mary it has been devastating. She says she is swamped with calls from people still thinking she can take in a injured bird.

“I told people who called me I am too old to fight them anymore.”

For now, she has 20-pet exotics to raise and call family. Grinde says she's afraid of being arrested if she takes in another injured bird.