- Species: Amazon - Orange Winged (See species list for details)
- Location: Burlington, North Carolina, United States 27217
- Date Found: May 20, 2012
- Phone Number: 336-578-1386
- Original URL: http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/looks-55534-missing-amazon.html
Animal shelter looks for Amazon parrot’s owner
May 20, 2012 1:24 PM
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Roselee Papandrea / Times-News
When a cat or dog is missing, it’s not unusual for an owner to call Burlington Animal Shelter to see if it ended up there.
But when it’s a bird that’s missing, owners don’t always think to check with the animal shelter.
“If someone is missing a large bird, they should check the shelter,” said Tamee Penley, Burlington Animal Services supervisor.
On May 6, a Burlington Police officer was called to Tillman Street because there was an Amazon parrot perched on a car. The bird didn’t want to cooperate with police so an animal control officer was called in to help.
“Initially, it was aggressive,” Penley said.
But when the animal control officer arrived, he put gloves on and was quickly able to capture the bird, which has been down at the shelter ever since.
“He’s really nice,” Penley said. “He was really scared at first, but he is very friendly for a large bird.”
It’s clear the bird belongs to someone, but no one has called asking about a missing parrot.
The parrot hasn’t talked, but it’s whistled and mimicked sounds. The bird’s flight feathers were grown out so it is able to fly fairly well.
“Someone must have had it out and someone opened the door and it took off,” Penley said.
The shelter doesn’t get a lot of parrots, although it’s not unusual for smaller birds to get turned in at the shelter.
“We haven’t come across too many large birds,” Penley said. “We get a cockatiel once or twice a year. We get them surrendered fairly often but do not usually see large birds like this.”
Anyone who is missing an Amazon parrot can contact the Burlington Animal Shelter at 336-578-1386.
“If somebody comes forward, they need to provide some kind of proof that it is theirs,” Penley said.