Heidi Fleiss Once Ran a Notorious Prostitution Ring in L.A. Now She Just Wants to Save the Birds (Exclusive)

Heidi Fleiss's life today looks decidedly different than what it did 30 years ago when she was the notorious Hollywood Madam running a high-end prostitution ring in Los Angeles.

At the time, she was living the high life, making up to $100,000 a night wrangling sex workers for some of the richest and most powerful men in the world.

"I later moved to Nevada to be in the sex business," she tells PEOPLE of wanting to open an all-male brothel catering to women. But now she lives a quiet life on a ranch in Pahrump and spends much of her time rescuing macaws. She says with a laugh, "I don't care about people having sex now. I've been there and done that."

Related: PEOPLE's Most Shocking Scandals

Fleiss, 58, who spent 20 months in prison for tax evasion in 1994, has devoted the past decade of her life freeing caged parrots from captivity and letting them live on her Nevada property. She feeds the birds, rehabilitates them and loves them as though they were her children.

"These birds have no other option other than to live in a cage, die in a cage," Fleiss says. "Once I realized this problem existed, I couldn't continue living my life without doing something about it."

She describes the horror of seeing a large, highly intelligent bird—one that can live up to 90 years in the wild—confined to such a tiny space. "People don't see the ugly side of their captivity," she says. Caged birds often lose their feathers and live in conditions that Fleiss likens to animal torture.

"They're much smarter than us," she says. "They've taught me so much about life. They don't have to have taxes, divorce, addictions, cooked food, or smartphones to be happy." She adds that the saddest part is that most people who have macaws as pets simply don't know what to do with them.

"We know a family where the bird got out of their cage, and these birds are big. They were so scared that they beat it to death. There's so much suffering. A bird can be in a cage in someone's attic for 40 years, with another 20 or 30 to go. It's so painful and sad. People have no idea."

Fleiss says her time in prison is part of what prompted her to rescue birds.

"Maybe it had something to do with going to prison and knowing what it was like to live your life in a cage." She notes that her own time in prison was terrible. "I was scared to death in there every day."

In 1993, Fleiss was arrested on multiple charges related to her prostitution ring. Convicted in 1996, she was sentenced to seven years in prison but released after three years. At the time, she became a media fixture—the notorious "Hollywood Madam." She hinted she might one day release the names of her famous clients. (Charlie Sheen was the only name that was released.)

Related: How 'Hollywood Madam' Heidi Fleiss 'Lost Interest in the Sex Business'

"I've made mistakes, but I don't mind a hurdle," she says of her former life.

"I don't mind that I screw up, or still have setbacks. I lived a life of adventure and excitement, but out of my whole life, the most beautiful thing I ever experienced was watching these birds not only go from solitary confinement but then adjust to freedom. Maybe even find a mate and raise a family."

She adds, "They're so happy here because they come from such horrible conditions. Usually, for the first few days, they'll climb to the highest spot and stare at the sky for three days. Because they've never seen it before."

Fleiss says she would love to see some sort of bill passed outlawing ownership of macaws as pets.

"We can show the world there's a better way, but I don't know if it will ever happen," she says. "It's like trying to fight the Second Amendment. But I remember when I was 13, they outlawed dressing up orangutans in those silly outfits, and I thought if they can do that...this is a cruel existence."

But saving the birds is costly. Fleiss has a non-profit but also relies on generous benefactors to keep bird food and medicine in stock. She's also buying a new home in Las Vegas across from a cemetery, where she says the birds will enjoy life in the canopy of shade trees.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

She jokes that it's a shame some of her rich former clients are no longer with us to help fund the endeavor.

"They were very powerful and had a lot of money," she says of the men she worked with. "It's too bad they're all dead because otherwise, all these birds would be saved."

Read the original article on People