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  • Species: African Grey - Congo (See species list for details)
  • Location: Nutley, New Jersey, United States 07110
  • Date Lost: October 12, 2011
  • Banded: Yes

WE FOUND OUR BIRD! WE’RE SOOOO HAPPY!

On Wednesday October 12, 2011, at 11 AM, he accidentally flew away from our house through an open back door due to construction.

As soon as he flew out, we ran towards him and searched for hours, calling his name as loud as we could throughout our streets. Within the first day, we had reported him missing on 10 websites, Facebook page, 7 police departments including the neighboring towns, and 20+ animal shelters/pet stores. More than 250 fliers were posted
throughout the town and the neighboring borders especially around the 1 mile radius from our house. We placed his cage outside in the backyard so if he was nearby, he’d recognize it and come down. The following days the searching started from dawn to dusk, with us walking/driving throughout our neighborhoods, calling his name as loud as we could, and carrying his favorite treats and things around with us. We were scouring the area for our beloved, intelligent pet and family member.

Saturaday, October 15, 2011– 4 days later, I was posting another flier and a little boy told me he saw him that morning while walking his dog and saw which direction he flew in. His mom confirmed the information and we now had a lead! We were ecstatic! We were so relieved to hear he was alive and survived the thunderstorms, rain,
and plummeting temperatures the past few days when we were losing all hope. Not to mention the hawks, cats, and other dangers to him in the area. Later that day we get an anonymous call asking us if there is a reward for Romeo and my mom said yes. The blocked caller then asked for how much and when my mom didn’t specify, he hung up. The worries kept adding on, but we continued to search. Many people in our town who heard/asked/read the story of Romeo offered good wishes and were
volunteering to help look for Romeo. We are so blessed to be living in a small town where everyone loves animals and were keeping a watch out for him. Another friend said they saw Romeo the same day and that two men were trying to catch him but that’s all they knew. While we weren’t home, we got a call from a Nutley number but had to wait to call back the next morning since it was late night.

Sunday, October 16, 2011– Day 5, exhausted and sleep deprived, we started the search 8 AM. We called the number on the caller ID and it was from a concerned person from the neighborhood who said she’d help us and was praying for us. Around 9AM another call came, that a lady had found a dead bird and our heart sank to our stomachs. We rushed to see, hot tears rolling down our cheeks, but it was a wild bird. Bittersweet moment. Around 12PM we spotted Romeo ourselves flying above the tall oak trees in a nearby park being chased by two hawks! Broadwings! Romeo was so high up and we lost sight of him. Around 4:30 PM we were tired and pulled over for a break in the car. All of a sudden two small gray colored bloody feathers fell on my windshield. Then some more. We looked up and saw a hawk sitting on top of the
electricity pole eating a bird. Scared to death, we looked at the prey closely and were relieved to know Romeo wasn’t being feasted on. We continue to search but at 5:30 PM we got a call that someone found and caught Romeo. We didn’t catch the details, what color the caught bird was or anything, we just drove straight there, not knowing anything for sure. Heart pounding and praying to dear God that it was Romeo, we ran to the cage to find out that it was indeed OUR ROMEO. He had flown to the neighboring town, Belleville, exactly 1.3 miles away from our house, but about 2 miles from the last place we saw him. He landed in the right house at the right time, with the most loving people to catch him and made sure to get him home. The gentlemen Chris, Dave, and Patrick found him on a a low tree and about 5 cats staring at him.
Scared to death, Romeo was hanging upside down on the tree, but the family managed to catch him and put him in a cage and fed it food and water until we arrived. As soon as he saw us, Romeo recognized us and started talking and was so happy to be reunited with his family. He didn’t want to let go once we were home, he kept talking and responding with a loud “WOooooOO”. He ate till his belly was full and is now sound asleep, resting. Thank God for the miracle.

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African Grey-Congo Parrot. Light grey with bright red tail. He has a red metal band, which is a little worn out so you can see the silver. His name is Romeo and he responds to words such as “hello, peek-a-boo, telephone ringtones, mano, meow, and woof”. Monetary reward for whoever finds/returns him. He is the baby of our family and we are very attached to him and he to us. He is so special to the kids and we are devasted without him. Please call us or report to Nutley Police Dept. Thank you so much.

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