1. Home
  2. Media Bulletins
  3. December 2021
  4. World Bird Sanctuary honors SSSIO: St. Louis, MO

World Bird Sanctuary honors SSSIO: St. Louis, MO

The Mid-Central Region of the Sri Sathya Sai International Organization (SSSIO)-USA adopted the World Bird Sanctuary (WBS) in Valley Park, Missouri in 2020.  The WBS is dedicated to preserving the earth’s biodiversity and protecting the bird species in their natural environment through education, conservation & rehabilitation. The WBS has more than 200 resident birds representing 60 species and has serviced over 500 patients at their Bird Hospital, including American bald eagles with permanent injuries.

This sanctuary became one of the SSSIO’s 160 adopted communities around the globe. SSSIO volunteers support the WBS in a myriad of ways – by providing needed supplies, helping to maintain the beautiful grounds, assisting in the completion of outdoor avian exhibits which house non-releasable birds, supporting the wildlife hospital that rehabilitates injured birds, and assisting at special events.

As soon as the sanctuary started receiving volunteers again in October 2021, members from the Sri Sathya Sai Center of St. Louis, MO helped with removing an old interactive Avian education exhibit and transporting it to a recycling area. 

On July 10, 2021, the World Bird Sanctuary awarded the Sri Sathya Sai International Organization, their 2020 Marlin Perkins Award, at a special event at the Hyatt Regency, the Arch, St. Louis, Missouri.  The WBS’s Marlin Perkins Award honors a group, individual or family that best exemplifies the spirit of environmental dedication through support of the sanctuary’s mission. Perkins was the Director of the St. Louis Zoo and provided guidance in the establishment of the WBS. Marlin Perkins was America’s voice of the environmental movement through the “Wild Kingdom”, a beloved television show that brought exposure to wildlife into the homes of Americans from 1963 to 1988. One of the volunteers remarked. “I personally would so look forward to Perkin’s show on Sunday evenings and it helped to foster my love for the environment. This is indeed a great honor that we will cherish!”