Dear Parrots magazine,
Lost birds
There has been a great deal published about birds escaping and the fine weather we have had recently has made things worse. I lost my Pionus some years ago but luckily, it didn’t go very far and was recovered by a neighbour, and I hadn’t had it microchipped. I often think how different everything could have been if I hadn’t got my bird back and how devastating to my family.
He has now been micro-chipped, which gives me a little more confidence but even then, it won’t guarantee I would get him back if he got out again. I agree with all that I have read that some form of identification is important, even a split ring would be better than nothing.
In your Bird Alert columns, John Hayward has, on a number of times, spoken about physical security, and that is something we can all do. Closures on doors and mesh guards on windows, all of which may well stop losing a bird. I urge everyone to make sure their birds are protected, so avoiding a traumatic and heartbreaking situation.
Audrey Baker - by email