Lost African grey parrot reunited with Wahnapitae family after escape
CBC
For the Belanger family in Wahnapitae, it is important to let their pet parrot Rocki enjoy some time out of his cage. But earlier this week, things took a dramatic turn when their eight-year-old African grey parrot couldn't find his favourite perch on the kitchen fridge, and he slipped out an open door into the outside world.
Rocki's owner Kassandra Belanger said the house was under renovation and the kitchen wasn't in the same order, which caused confusion for the bird.
"When he was flying, he was trying to land on the fridge, but he decided to go out the door. And the kids tried to catch him but he flew right over to our neighbour's house," said Belanger.
After some time near the neighbour's house, Rocki flew even farther until he was out of sight. This was Monday, Aug. 12, and Belanger would take the next two days off work to try to find her beloved pet.
"It was impossible. We looked in all the trees, we called for him using his calling, we tried to get his attention with treats, but it was devastating," she said.
"My kids knew there was a possibility that Rocki could die."
Days had passed with no sign of the missing parrot, when suddenly, at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, she got a phone call from someone who said they had Rocki, 10 kilometres away from Belanger's home.
"I broke into tears, I was so excited. At first I thought it was a joke," said Belanger.
At camp in Red Deer Lake, Mike Blomme was checking his minnow traps ahead of a day of fishing, when he heard a bird fly over his head and land near him.
Its grey and red plumage was striking, and he ran to get his camera to take a picture of the unusual species. He then brought down a slice of bread to feed the bird. While Rocki was eating, Blomme scooped him up.
"I brought him up and showed my wife, and she said 'oh my goodness, somebody must've lost him,'" said Blomme in an interview.
The Blomme family immediately got to work, searching for the bird's owners. Mike asked his daughter to post on Facebook in hopes of finding Rocki's owners, and within an hour, Kassandra Belanger was on her way over to identify the bird.
"Maybe I'm the first person he saw, and he said 'oh gee, maybe that guy will give me a plate to eat,'" said Blomme.
According to World Animal Protection UK, African grey parrots have an average lifespan of 60 years. Since they have such long lives, sometimes they outlive their human owners, meaning that they may have to be rehomed several times in their lives.
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