Beast Blog

27th March 2009

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This parrot has been birdnapped

Internet sensation Gordo the Skateboarding Parrot has been birdnapped.

The 30-year-old Guatemalan parrot, known for his talent on wheels, was snatched from his cage on the front porch of his home in Baldwin Park, California.

Brightening the outlook - Gordo’s devastated owner Fred Mireles points out - is that the birdnapper is “up against a can of worms” because Gordo is innately un-fond of strangers and will start biting.

Tags birds parrots crime

24th March 2009

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This parrot is a lifesaver

Willie is a Quaker parrot - which I assume is a breed, not a description of his religious affiliation - who saved a child’s life by alerting the babysitter that the little girl was choking.

According to the AP, last November Willie’s owner, Megan Howard, was baby-sitting when her young charge started to choke on breakfast. Howard was momentarily out of the room, but Willie flapped his wings and repeated the phrase, “Mama, baby,” until she returned and performed the Heimlich maneuver.

On Friday, Willie was honored as an Animal Lifesaver by the Red Cross chapter in Denver, CO, where he lives.

Tags heroism birds parrots