Second Chance Bird Rescue

Group faults airline over parrot smuggling

Source:Reuters Africa

Group faults airline over parrot smuggling
Thu 6 Dec 2007, 8:36 GMT

By Tansa Musa

YAOUNDE (Reuters) - A wildlife conservation group in Cameroon said on Wednesday it was considering suing Ethiopian Airlines for complicity after it caught smugglers trying to take 1,000 African Grey parrots out of the central African country.

The Yaounde-based Last Great Ape Organization (LAGA), working with Cameroon's security forces, seized a consignment of 500 African Grey parrots on Tuesday aboard an Ethiopian Airlines plane shortly before it was due to leave Douala airport.

The discovery came just over a week after the authorities arrested two Ghanaians for trying to illegally export a first batch of 500 parrots out of Douala to Bahrain.

"We're considering initiating a court case against the airline company, which has been found to be irregularly involved in the transport of wildlife without permission," LAGA director Ofir Drori told Reuters in an interview.

No comment from Ethiopian Airlines was immediately available.

The African Grey is a medium-sized parrot which is held to be one of the world's most intelligent birds, partly for its ability to imitate human speech. This makes it a popular pet.

The species is listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to which Cameroon is a signatory. The pact requires that exports be accompanied by a permit issued by a national authority.

In total, the two batches of parrots are estimated to be worth $800,000 (394,000 pounds).

(Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Mary Gabriel)

Owners offer $10,000 reward for lost parrot

Source: Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Owners of a missing parrot that speaks with a Brooklyn accent and imitates cell phone sounds are so distraught about their loss they have issued a $10,000 cash reward for the bird.

The African Grey parrot named Franklin vanished without a trace from a New York pet boarding house last week while the family was celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday in Florida.

Franklin's owners returned to New York after they were told the bird had been reported missing from the Sutton Aviary in Manhattan.

"I have had Franklin in my life for about 18 years. I was never blessed with children. He is my son," Leigh Ann Frankel, the parrot's owner, said in an interview.

Detectives are investigating the disappearance of the bird, who was adopted when he was two years old and has distinctive bright red feathers. African Grey parrots can sell for up to $3,000.

Caring for your pets when you leave this world

Often we take great care in preparing for the after life by ensuring those we will leave here on this Earth are cared for in the sum of life insurance policies and the like. However, what becomes of our beloved pets when we depart?

The following article details examples of what some have done in preparation. Whether you have a Cockatiel or a Cockatoo, wouldn't you rest more comfortably at night knowing that not only will your spouse/children/siblings be cared for, but so will your fids?

How to ensure money, care for your pet after you're gone
Houston Chronicle - United States
"not everybody loves a cat like you do, or a parrot," kroll observes. if you leave the money in a will, the
court may not enforce the requirement to care ...

Please welcome ''Baby'' to the SCBR Educational Program

Second Chance Bird Rescue would like to introduce you to Baby, a 26 yr old B&G Macaw. She will be a member of the SCBR educational program, an example of the self-mutilation and self-esteem changes that often occur due to placement in breeding programs.

Grand Opening of SCBR Facility

Second Chance Bird Rescue would like to announce the opening of our permanent facility. We are excited to have the opportunity to bring forth a first and only to the local Rochester New York Community. It has long been a dream of BarbÃ¢â�¬â�¢s to open such a site, and she is now living it.

As always, we welcome all who wish to explore the possibility of rescuing a bird in need of a second chance. If you are interested in discussing the matter more and would like to speak with Barb about the possibility of adopting a bird, please feel free to visit or call.

Second Chance Bird Rescue is no located at:

46 Sager Drive
Rochester, NY 14607
(585)235-3284

Thank you to all who have in the past, and currently support the rescue and website. We look forward to another year of servicing the community and providing better suited, forever homes to birds in need.

New Poll posted

Just posted a new poll pertaining to how often you take your feathered friends outside for fresh air.

Southeast Kansas police chief saves caged bird from sinking bar

Story courtesy of The Kansas City Star

GALENA, Kan. - A pet lovebird named Romeo has been saved from a 114-year-old tavern that is sinking into an old mine shaft in this southeast Kansas town.

Police Chief Larry Delmont said he retrieved the bird Wednesday after several of his officers volunteered for the job. He said he didn't want any of them to take the risk.

The tavern, called the Green Parrot, began sinking into a rapidly growing hole earlier this week.

Mickey Morang ran the tavern with his mother, 80-year-old Opal Currey, and lived on the building's second floor. The pair, along with Morang's dog, were able to get out of the building.

But Romeo remained inside squawking as pieces of the building fell away.

Delmont said Morang was happy to be reunited with his pet, who was found in Morang's apartment.

Delmont said the lovebird appeared to be in good condition, but it may have some wing damage.

Squawk over child neglect proves false

Story courtesy of: United Press International

KOBLENZ, Germany, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Police who raced to a home in Koblenz, Germany, where a neighbor reported hearing a child calling for its mother found instead only a talented parrot.

An unidentified elderly woman called police Monday, saying there was a high-pitched voice repeatedly screaming out "Mother, oh, Mother," Deutsche Welle reported Tuesday.

Officers responded quickly and fanned out around the property. On entering the home, they found the 25-year-old caged parrot happily shrieking out the newest phrase it had learned, the report said.

Officers declined to charge the owner with disturbing the peace and the elderly neighbor was assured no children were in the house.

One policeman said the call was very lifelike, and also unique, as parrots have difficulty pronouncing the letter "m," the report said.

Rare parrot threatens more windfarms

Story courtesy of ABC SouthEast SA

The orange-bellied parrot - a frequent flyer to the Limestone Coast - has just been nominated for inclusion on the Commonwealth's list of critically endangered fauna. Successful inclusion, it is feared by some, could halt further developments by the region's windfarm industry.

The South Australian and Victorian governments have already listed the bird as being critically endangered. But at the federal level, it is just an endangered animal.

Chris Tzaros, orange-bellied parrot project officer with Birds Australia, says his organisation is supportive of wind farms, but only where they do not threaten birds like the orange-bellied parrot.

"It's incorrectly sited wind farms, or in some cases incorrectly sited wind turbines within the wind farm, that we might consider (innapropriate) - close to a wetland or a particular migratory route. It's those developments or those wind turbines that we are against," he says.

The bird is a peculiar one in the parrot family as the entire population migrates. Every March, the orange-bellied parrot flies from its breeding grounds in southern Tasmania to the coast between south Gippsland and the Murray Mouth, returning in October.

Parrot smarter than toddler, says scientist

Reporter: Kirsten Veness

ELEANOR HALL: If you think your toddler is bright, meet Alex the parrot, whose scientist owner says the talking bird is smarter than the average two year old.

The American scientist says the results from a 29-year study suggests parrots could be more intelligent than previously thought.

Irene Pepperberg has found that her work with a Grey Parrot called "Alex" is challenging ideas about parrots being simple mimics.

Kirsten Veness has this report.

(sound of parrot squawking)

KIRSTEN VENESS: Alex is an African Grey Parrot. He has a red tail and white patches around the eyes. But intellectually, he's way ahead, and dwarfs other bird-brained breeds.

Bought from a Chicago pet store when he was one, Alex has just celebrated his 30th birthday.

After studying Alex for close to three decades, Professor Pepperberg from Brandeis University says parrots have an impressive intelligence.

IRENE PEPPERBERG: Well, they're about the same intelligence as a five-year-old child, but their communication skills, at least as far as we've looked at in the lab, are only about that of a two-year-old. So no long, complicated sentences, but the ability to answer the questions that we ask.

KIRSTEN VENESS: And how do they communicate? Are they using the same language we're using?

IRENE PEPPERBERG: Well, if you put language in quotes, yes, they use English speech. So if I ask Alex, you know, how many keys; he'll tell me "two". And if I ask him what colour; he'll say "green". And if I ask what shape; he'll say "three-quarter".

KIRSTEN VENESS: Alex can identify 100 objects, most of them food and toys from around his home. He can add up and identify seven colours.

IRENE PEPPBERBERG: What colour?

ALEX: Orange.

KIRSTEN VENESS: Professor Pepperberg says he can use simple phrases to say where he wants to go, and even has a few more complex sentences under his wing.

IRENE PEPPERBERG: There are long phrases that he has that have what we call general reference, but not specific reference. So we'll have what we call the goodnight routine, so when we leave at night this, you know, "you be good, I'll see you tomorrow". Or "I'm gonna go eat dinner, I'll see you tomorrow", things like that, where he has a general sense of the appropriateness of when these are supposed to be said, but probably doesn't understand what all those words mean.

KIRSTEN VENESS: But Alex is no galah. When he doesn't want to do what's asked, he makes it known.

IRENE PEPPERBERG: He'll generally perform with almost perfect accuracy for about the first, oh maybe 12, 15 trials, and then he just does not want to do it, and he'll sit there and he'll preen, or he'll give me all the wrong answers in a row, which takes a lot of intelligence because he's avoiding the one correct answer. So if he's giving me, you know, six wrong answers in a row, you know he's avoiding that seventh answer carefully. So you know he knows it, because by chance he couldn't do that.

KIRSTEN VENESS: Professor Pepperberg became interested in parrots after realising there was little study done in the area. Her research is now being used to help children with learning difficulties.

IRENE PEPPERBERG: I've been working with a colleague, Diane Sherman, who's in Monterey at New-Found Therapies, and she's been adapting our training procedures for work with autistic children, with very good results. She's helped these children immensely. I mean, none of the children have reached completely normal stages, but all of them have progressed significantly.

KIRSTEN VENESS: So is every bird as smart as Alex?

Do you believe animals such as parrots and other higher intelligence animals have consciousness?

IRENE PEPPERBERG: Yes, I'm not sure it's the same as ours. I mean, they certainly have what we call perceptual awareness. They're very much aware of their environment, they're aware of everything around them. Are they aware of being aware? That is the really critical question.

ELEANOR HALL: Surely the question vexing all of us. Professor Irene Pepperberg from Brandeis University in the United States, speaking to Kirsten Veness.

Story courtesy of The World Today