PARROT FASHION
Hardened criminals, jealous pets, and compulsive online shoppers
A parrot was taken into custody in northern Brazil following a police raid targeting crack dealers. The green and white bird had been taught to alert criminals to police operations in Vila Irmã Dulce, a low-income community in the sun-scorched capital of Piauí state, by shouting: “Mum, the police!” The parrot was seized on 22 April when officers swooped on a drug den run by a local couple. “As soon as the police got close he started shouting,” said an officer involved in the operation. Drugs, including crack and marijuana, were found at the property, as well as large amounts of money. A journalist described the imprisoned parrot as a “super obedient” creature – albeit one that had kept its beak firmly shut after being “arrested”. The Brazilian broadcaster Globo said the “papagaio do tráfico” (drug-trafficking parrot) had been handed over to a local zoo in Teresina, where it would spend three months learning to fly before being released. theguardian.com, 24 April 2019.
Four years ago, a turquoisefronted Amazonian parrot was brought to a zoo in the southern Brazilian city of Cascavel, having been severely injured in a shootout between police and gangsters during a raid on the drug den where he had lived with his villain owner. Because of his
bullet-disfigured face, he was called Freddy Krueger after the character in Nightmare on Elm Street. “In the shootout, [Freddy] was hit in the upper-beak… blinded and suffered burns to the feathers that grow between the eyes,” according to Brazil’s Folha de São Paulo newspaper. Then, last April, Freddy was bitten on the leg by a snake. He bled profusely but survived, only to be stolen on 16 April when three armed raiders burst into the zoo, overpowered its security guard and made off with two parrots and a gas cylinder. Two days later, however, Freddy returned, discovered by zoo staff at the foot of a pine tree beside his cage. The details of his comeback remain murky, although drops of blood found near his former abode have fuelled speculation that the notoriously aggressive bird bit his way out. “He’s a bit of a wild one,” said Ilair Dettoni, the zoo’s vet, who suspected Freddie’s mangled features might have proven his salvation, given the limited market for deformed parrots. “I don’t know if Freddy is really unlucky or really lucky,” he said. The second parrot and the gas cylinder had yet to be found. theguardian.com, 29 April 2019.
Firefighters who raced to a suspected house fire in Daventry, Northamptonshire, found a parrot impersonating a fire alarm. They banged on Steve Dockerty’s door after being alerted by the alarm company – but the emergency call was down to Steve’s 17-year-old African grey parrot, Jazz. Staff at the company that monitors Mr Dockerty’s alarm called him after the smoke detector was triggered in error; hearing the bird in the background, they called the fire brigade. Mr Dockerty, 63, adopted Jazz a year earlier to give his other parrot, Kiki, 16, some company. BBC News, 16 Nov; Sun, 17 Nov 2018.
Buddy, an African grey parrot in London, has used Amazon’s Alexa to order golden gift boxes [FT369:24]. Rocco, another African grey, was removed from the National Animal Welfare Trust in Berkshire because staff didn’t want him effing and blinding on public display. Trust worker Marion Wischnewski, 49, took him to her home in Didcot, Oxfordshire, where he fell in love with Alexa, using the virtual assistant to order strawberries, water melon, raisins, broccoli and ice cream – as well as a kite, light bulbs and a kettle. He also
likes to dance, and tells the voice-activated device to play his favourite tunes. “Often I come home from being out all day and find romantic music playing,” said Ms Wischnewski. “And he loves a boogie with Alexa, but it has to be something fast, like his favourite, Kings of Leon. Rocco and Alexa chat away to each other all day. Then I have to check the shopping list and cancel all the items he’s ordered.” Sun, D.Mail, 14 Dec 2018.
Petra, an African grey Congo parrot belonging to a woman in Florida, uses Alexa to irritate. The mischievous bird orders it to turn the lights on and off at unusual hours. Petra’s owner said: “You’re half awake and you’re like, ‘Was that a dream? Did that just happen?’ All day, every day, it’s lights on, lights off.” Love It!, 7 June 2018.
A mother of three says Gobby, the family’s parrot, is jealous of her husband and wants to usurp him after she filmed the bird imitating his voice while sternly telling off their 15-month-old son. Hayley Kirby-Bulmer, from Weyhill, Hampshire, was amazed when Gobby pointed his claw at toddler Leon and said “Stop it” and “No”. She said: “Leon had been crying for 45 minutes and nothing I was doing was calming him down. Then Gobby just started to say ‘Stop it’ and whistling. Leon just stopped. I couldn’t believe it. I had been replaced by a parrot. My son had decided to listen to a bird and not his own mum.” Gobby also encourages Leon, who has digestion problems, to eat all his food by saying ‘Good boy”, “Yum” and “Thank you, daddy”. But Gobby is silent when her husband Karsten, 43, is home and “can’t stand” him and “just wants to be the only man in the house,” she said. “When we let him out he goes straight for Karsten, he dive bombs him.” Metro, 27 Nov 2017.
A parrot found wandering around Dublin Airport’s runway was reunited with its owner after it recognised a foreign language it had been taught. Efforts to locate the rightful owner resulted in four people coming
forward. Lubomir Michna claimed he had taught the African grey, called Hugo, a few words of Slovak and recorded an audio clip to be played to the bird. When the recording was played, Hugo reacted instantly, becoming animated and excited. When Mr Michna arrived, Hugo was thrilled. “As soon as the carrier was opened, Hugo jumped onto Lubomir’s arm and cuddled into his neck,” said Dan Donoher from Kildare Animal Foundation. “It was lovely.” Irish Independent, 23 Feb; D.Telegraph, 23 Feb 2019.
Blushing was once considered a peculiar characteristic of humans, but scientists have discovered that we share this involuntary reaction with parrots, whose cheeks also redden in social situations. Five hand-reared blue-andyellow macaws were studied by researchers keen to understand the birds’ complex social lives. When their human handlers
actively interacted with them, by chatting and maintaining eye contact, they ruffled their head feathers and blushed on their bare cheeks. Aline Bertin of the INRA Centre Val de Loire in France said: “Although caution must be exercised when interpreting these data due to the small sample size, we argue that crown ruffling and skin colour variation may provide facial indicators of bird’s inner subjective feelings.” The study was published in the journal PLOS One. D.Telegraph, 24 Aug 2018.
And here’s one from the vaults: Sparky, an African grey, sat in the window of a house in York leering at passers-by, squawking: “Show us your knickers!’ or “Wanker!” Following a complaint, officials told his owner’s landlady, Paula Bedford, that any more avian bad manners could lead to eviction. Independent on Sunday, 11 Feb 2007.