06/10/2026
After 17 years of moving animals, you'd think the excitement would wear off. It hasn't. Not even a little. 🦜
Over the last couple of weeks, our team had the honor of moving one kookaburra and two keel-billed toucans to the Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens in Hilo — and we'll just say that our owner had to be talked out of a very questionable life decision involving a "missing 2nd bird". 😂
The Department of Plant and Animal Industry escorted us from quarantine all the way to the connecting flight gate just to be sure. They weren't wrong to be cautious lol!!
Moving birds to Hawaii is no small feat. It requires proper permitting, precise timing, and a team that knows the process inside and out. Here's what that looks like:
✅ Hawaii requires a mandatory isolation period before any bird can enter the state
✅ We ship birds each month to our partner veterinary clinic in Oregon to complete that isolation at a reasonable cost
✅ Being on the West Coast also allows us to meet Hawaii's strict 36-hour travel timeline — which is non-negotiable
✅ From there, birds clear Honolulu quarantine and federal inspection before reaching their final destination
We've done this enough times that the process is smooth, compliant, and as stress-free as possible for the birds and their owners.
For this shipment, our three feathered friends flew from San Diego to Southern Oregon, completed their 7 days isolation with our USDA Accredited Avian Vet, got packed up in proper crates, and netting, and caught a 5:30 AM flight to Honolulu. Here we cleared inspection, got thoroughly photographed by our very excited team, (state inspectors included) and made their final flight to Hilo on Hawaii Island. They have already settled in beautifully at Pana'ewa.
We predominantly move household pets families — but occasionally we get a move that stands out a little more than others. We are grateful to the Pana'ewa Zoo for their continued trust in our team.
P.S. All three were raised responsibly in captivity and are heading into incredible hands. Pana'ewa is the real deal — and getting to be a small part of connecting these birds to a place where they'll be loved, cared for, and seen by the community is exactly why we do this. Conservation matters.
📩 Moving a bird to Hawaii? We've got the process, the permits, and the partner clinic. Reach out to our team — we move birds every month and we'd love to help.
