MOSSEL BAY NEWS - A local parrot made his way down to The Point in Mossel Bay, taking himself on an overnight play date at the jungle gym.
The 13-week-old African grey parrot had sneakily escaped his temporary home at a pet shop on Saturday morning, 10 May, leaving the pet shop owner, Renette Lombard, without hope that she would ever see him again.
It was the following day, Mother's Day, that local photographer Michael de Nobrega came upon the curious sight of a parrot hopping along a jungle gym, alongside some children.
De Nobrega said the bird looked as if he was having fun and seemed tame. He was even interacting with a few of the children on the jungle gym. De Nobrega said it was not a sight one often saw and he took some photographs.
He soon established that the parrot was at the playpark without an owner, so he safely caught the bird with help from a kind stranger and took the parrot home, giving him some food and water on their arrival.
De Nobrega then posted on Facebook that he had found the parrot. That is when Lombard came across his post and contacted him.
Lombard told Mossel Bay Advertiser the bird had been with her since he was about three or four days old and was now 13 weeks.
Renette Lombard was reunited with the parrot on Mother's Day. Photo: Michael de Nobrega
She said a man had come into her store on Saturday morning and was having a little cuddle with the bird when he sneakily slipped from the man's arms and flew straight through the gate, outside.
"I watched him fly all the way down the street toward the beach. I thought that was the last time I would see him," Lombard told the Advertiser.
"For the rest of that day, I walked up and down the streets and around the harbour, just looking for him, but there was no sight of him, not even a single feather," she said.
She was surprised when on Sunday, she came across De Nobrega's post. Lombard said she knew it was her parrot because of the dark eyes. She said African greys' eyes are very dark when they are young, lightening to a yellow as they get older.
She said she is incredibly happy to have the bird back, adding that he enjoyed all the attention.
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
