Abused parrot in video rescued by animal welfare society
A parrot that was flicked in the beak by a woman and fed saliva in a viral video has been rescued by an animal welfare society on Sunday.
Parrot Society Singapore said in an Instagram post on Sunday night that the parrot will be taken to a vet the next day.
A spokesman for the society told The Straits Times that the parrot was secured with the help of its volunteers and members of the public who came forward.
Parrot Society Singapore is a non-profit animal welfare society established in 2022 by a group of dedicated parrot owners. It aims to improve the welfare of parrots kept in Singapore through education and outreach, and to provide a sustainable system through which abandoned, neglected and mistreated parrots can be aided.
In the video that garnered much traction on Sunday, the woman films herself scolding the parrot and flicking its beak several times. Later, she feeds it her saliva.
The footage was initially circulated on a lost-and-found bird group on Facebook, and the woman mentioned in her post that she had found the lost parrot. The original post has been taken down.
According to the society, the parrot is a green-cheeked conure that is native to South America and not Singapore, so it is likely an escaped pet.
The video sparked condemnation online, with one netizen on Reddit calling it “disgusting”, and another saying it was “sadistic”.
In another post on Facebook, the woman uploaded TikTok videos of the parrot eating a cheese-flavoured Super Ring snack.
The society explained that flicking a parrot’s beak is like flicking a person’s lips and teeth. “That is the same amount of agonising pain the parrot would have suffered,” the Parrot Society Singapore spokesman said.
Parrots are also physiologically different from mammals, so their immune systems might not be able to fight certain types of bacteria present in the woman’s saliva, the spokesman added.
The society has since named the parrot Pumpkin, and said it intends to take it to a vet for tests to check on its health on Monday. Pumpkin is being taken care of by a volunteer now, but the society hopes to reunite the parrot with its owner. If that is unsuccessful, it may put Pumpkin up for adoption.
The society advised that if the public were to encounter a bird which they think is a lost pet, they should try to secure the bird first.
If they fail to do so, they should alert Facebook groups such as Lost & Found Birds SG or B.A.R. (Bird Alert & Rescue) Singapore HelpLine about the bird sighting, or contact Parrot Society Singapore via Facebook or Instagram for assistance.
ST has contacted the Animal and Veterinary Service for comment.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
