- NEWS -February 2004 |
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Churchill parrot found alive
British war leader Winston Churchill's
foul-mouthed 104-year-old parrot refused to "surrender" to
newshounds on Monday after a British newspaper tracked the bird down
and discovered it was still alive.
"They've been trying to get him to talk
all day, but he's not saying much," Sylvia Martin, who manages
Heathfield Nurseries where parrot Charlie has lived for the past 12
years, said.
Charlie, who kept Churchill company during
World War Two, was famous for occasionally squawking four letter
obscenities about Hitler.
Ms Martin told Reuters the bird has mellowed.
"He doesn't say very much anymore, usually
just hello and goodbye, but he does get so excited about music and
dances to it. He's very fit," she said.
Charlie, invariably referred to as
"he", despite being female, is now owned by Peter Oram, the
garden centre's owner.
Mr Oram's father-in-law sold Churchill the bird
and was asked to take it back after the prime minister died in 1965.
Steve Nichols, the founder of Britain's
National Parrot Sanctuary, said although parrots did not often live
longer than 40 in the wild, some had lived to up to 110.
New quarantine and breeding facilities for the Lear's and Spix's Macaws planned
The new quarantine and breeding facilities for the Lear's and Spix's Macaws are planned on land provided at the EcoResort at Praia do Forte, which is also the home of the famous Tamar turtle and Humpback Whale projects. The quarantine facility intended for four pairs or 8 macaws, which is at present partially built, will occupy 5,000 sq. metres (1.25 acres) and the breeding facility will stand on 15,000 sq. metres (nearly 4 acres) of licuri palm covered land some two/three kilometres from the quarantine facility.
There are at present 13 Lear's Macaws (six pairs and a male) at São Paulo Zoo and 11 at Rio Zoo. The three held at present in the UK - one male, two females - will join this captive group in Brazil when finally released by HM Customs and Excise. The legal ownership of the Lear's Macaws held in Qatar has been signed over to Brazil by Sheikh Al-Thani, but will remain in his facility there for the time being.
There are also 7 Spix's macaws at São Paulo Zoo, which represents the entire captive population in Brazil. Following the closure of Maurizio dos Santos' breeding facility at Recife for personal reasons, there are no longer any Spix's Macaws known to be in private hands in Brazil.
http://www.bluemacaws.org/new.htm
Foul-mouthed parrot killed in China
A talking parrot was killed by its Chinese owner after it failed to learn simple greetings but spouted abuse instead, state media said on Monday.
Li Yong, the bird's owner, said he bought the bird eight months ago and had tried to teach it to say greetings such as "hello" and "goodbye" but all attempts failed, the China Daily said. Fed up with the parrot, he yelled "idiot" at it. The bird paid him back by calling him that and more, said the daily. An infuriated Li finally killed the bird.
AFP
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