Be Kind Exotic Animal Rescue

16/06/2026

Massive thank you to Holly’s Little Moggy Rescue for taking this little lady in 🐱

She needed to learn how to be a kitten, and what better place than with a whole crew of kittens to teach her.

Her arrival did make my old man cat a bit grumpy though... he’s started peeing on things. Like my shoes 😂 Guess he’s made his feelings known.

🌞 new kitten 🌞

This little girl has come to me from Be Kind Exotic Rescue, after being found by a member of the public.

Age: 7ish weeks
Gender: female
Domestic shorthair, though possibly a fluffy one. She almost looks like she has British shorthair in her.

Personality: after being quarantined, this kitten is now roaming the house with a spicy attitude. She is okay with the other cats, but as soon as they're in her space - you can hear it from the next room 😂 currently, she may be more suited to an only cat household, but this may change with time.

She will be up for preadoption once she hits 800grams in weight to ensure that her growth and health are well.

🌟all kittens will be desexed before release to their homes🌟

07/06/2026

ANSWER THE CALL 📞

When you run a rescue, you earn a name for yourself. You become 'the lady to call' when an animal needs help. And I love that.

I’ve had calls from people I haven’t seen in over 10 years because they found baby mice at work and didn’t know who else to ring. I’ve had family on the other side of the world call for advice about an animal they found. I love being that person. I love that people I know - and don’t know - call when something needs help.

Last night after work I got home exhausted and ready for a cup of tea. I did my rounds saying goodnight to all the animals, came back inside, and saw missed calls from a friend I work with. I called her back and she was out at a skid pad for the day. She found a tiny kitten next to its sibling who hadn’t made it. She managed to catch it, searched for others, but there were none. She called me and dropped the little one off last night - hungry, tiny, and terrified.

Earlier in the week I also got a call about a goose who looked very lost in a suburban area. An amazing friend managed to catch him. He’s extremely skinny but super friendly, so she brought him up today along with a juvenile swan that was found in the middle of Ponsonby Road of all places. They’re settling in great with our flock and enjoying a proper meal.

Are these animals I’d normally take in? No, definitely not. But I couldn’t say no. I like being the place people call. I like that I can give them a safe spot to recover. I like that when people see an animal in trouble, they think of us.

I’m so happy I get to help these guys. Helping animals is my passion and im so glad I can help.

04/06/2026

A New Toy 🎉

When people think about rescue costs, they usually picture food, vet bills, all the basics. And that adds up fast.

But something a lot of people don’t think about is enrichment. Parrots are incredibly smart - some have the intelligence of a 5 year old. That means those big brains need to stay busy. Toys, puzzles, even dance battles are all part of keeping them mentally and physically healthy. It might seem silly to some, but enrichment encourages natural behaviors and stops boredom in its tracks.

Paul, our new cockatoo, checking out his new toy. Everything’s still pretty scary for him, but he’s slowly, slowly settling in. The other parrots have found their rhythm and are loving their new routine.

If you’d like to send the birds a new toy, we’d love that. Donate what you can and we’ll send you pics of the birds putting it to good use 🦜

GABRIELLE BAILEY
01-0482-0074503-46

03/06/2026

Raining rabbits is unfortunately right. Smaller rescues especially the exotic ones vet let out often so if you could vote for us that would be amazing thank you

Help us nominate local animal charities and rescue organisations to be voted on this July 🐾💛

As part of our Howick Heroes giveback campaign, we’re looking for animal organisations in our community that could benefit from a little extra support 🐶🐱

✨ Know a local group that deserves it?
👇 Nominate them below and tell us why they should win a share of $2000

Entries close 20th June
Our team will then shortlist 3 finalists

Let’s get behind the amazing organisations caring for animals in our community 🐾💚

24/05/2026

BIRDS, BIRDS, BIRDS 🦜

Now that everyone’s safe, I can share this crazy story.

On Thursday afternoon we got a call from a lovely couple who found a cockatoo by the side of the road. While they were catching him, they spotted an Alexandrine in the trees but couldn’t catch her and asked if we could help. We brought along two of our own as call birds to try and lure her down.

When we got there and were looking up at this bird high in a tree, I heard another call from the trees behind us. Sure enough, there was a second female Alexandrine.

We were there for 3 hours and managed to catch one of the Alexandrines. While we were there, a local stopped to see what was going on and mentioned he’d seen 4 open cages on a front lawn a few days earlier.

Just as we were about to call it for the night, I heard a very familiar sound from another patch of trees. It was a ringneck.

The amazing couple came back the next day and managed to catch both the ringneck and the other Alexandrine. They drove up to meet us in Warkworth today with both birds.

After talking to more neighbors, it sounds like these poor birds were deliberately released. They’re all hungry and scared, but the cockatoo has already let Liam scratch his head, so that’s a start.

It’s heartbreaking to think someone let these guys out to starve in the wild. But I’m so grateful we could help, and all 4 are now safe. We’ll keep monitoring the area to make sure there isn’t anyone else out there.

If you’d like to help with their care, please consider donating to our rescue bank account below. Thank you so much for any support you can give.

Bank account details:
GABRIELLE BAILEY
01-0482-0074503-46

22/05/2026

Busy season is here!

We've had a few surrenders coming in as things start to ramp up.

This gorgeous bearded dragon was surrendered last week - he's a sweet guy, and true to form, decided to head straight into brumation as soon as he arrived.

We also welcomed Banana and Strips to the flock, two stunning budgies with huge personalities. They're friendly, curious, and already love their treats.

And welcome back to Houdini! He was adopted from us a few years ago, but when his owner could no longer care for him, he came back home with his mate, the blue-tongue Hex.

Supporting animals for their whole lives is a big part of what we do, whether that's answering questions or taking them back if circumstances change. It's in our adoption agreement because the last thing we want is animals getting passed around and their care declining.

We've got another wild story to share soon, but it's still unfolding. We'll post once everyone is safe and settled.

29/04/2026

New Intakes

We had 4 new animals join the rescue over the weekend!

First up is this gorgeous leopard gecko. She's a beautiful, slightly shy girl settling in at one of our amazing foster homes so she can get use to people more. She had a small eye issue but it's almost all cleared up - fantastic news.

Then on Sunday, we drove out west to collect 3 cockatiels from an elderly couple. The drive was beautiful and they even showed us their butterfly tree, which I loved. The birds are now settling into the aviary.

Welcome to the whānau, little ones 🦎🦜

22/04/2026

Update on Mr Kissey Face 🦎

Remember Freddy, our gorgeous male water dragon who went through major facial reconstruction surgery? The recovery was long and at times touch-and-go, but I'm stoked to say he's doing amazingly well now!

After meeting his girlfriend Twistie, the female water dragon with a spinal deformity, he turned a huge corner. He started eating by himself and has made incredible progress.

The Amazing The Animal Sanctuary donated this massive enclosure for the happy couple, and they love it! They're soaking up the last of the autumn sun before settling in for winter.

Thanks to everyone who supported his journey ❤️

18/04/2026

Help needed with aviary transport 🚚

We've been offered a gorgeous aviary by a kind follower - it will be amazing for the animals here. The catch? We have no way to get it from Mt Wellington to us in Wellsford, on the way to Mangawhai.

Can anyone help with transport? If you have a trailer or truck and are heading our way, please let me know.

Thank you so much!

09/04/2026

Cyclone Sunday!

We're bunker-down ready here at the sanctuary, prepping for the potential cyclone on Sunday. Temp cages are set up for our reptiles and birds in the shipping container, chainsaw's charged, and food and water are stocked.

Our cabins aren't the strongest, so we'll be moving everyone to a safer spot on Saturday night, just in case. Better safe than sorry, right?

Hoping everyone else is prepared and staying safe! Fingers crossed it won't be too bad 🌪️.