Woman's parrot dies after grooming session
A woman in Toa Payoh is seeking justice after her beloved pet parrot died following a grooming session.
Data scientist Huang Wei hired a pet care service to trim her African grey parrot's claws and beak, but after two hours of grooming, the parrot exhibited signs of distress and was pronounced dead at a veterinary clinic.
The incident occurred on Sept 17 at Ms Huang's executive condominium at Lorong 1A Toa Payoh.
The 38-year-old told Shin Min Daily News that she had two birds — a five-week-old African grey parrot and a green parrot — and had chosen to raise the African grey, named Gru, as a companion for her autistic child.
"I asked the two caregivers many times during the grooming session whether it was normal for Gru to keep screaming in pain but they said it was and I believed them," she recounted.
However, after the grooming, Gru began to whine and excrete bloody stools.
"Gru tried to fly over my head and his eyes were wet," she said. "He then fell. His wings were drooped and he was bleeding."
When she confronted the groomers, they told her there was "something wrong" with the food she was feeding him.
She recalled how the duo left in a hurry.
An autopsy revealed that Gru's death was likely caused by improper handling during the grooming session, which led to internal injuries.
"His muscle tissue was damaged, resulting in blood in his urine," she said, adding that she will receive the autopsy report soon.
Mr Lin, a 54-year-old trainer who has been raising African grey parrots for six years told Shin Min that these birds are very strong and have the IQ of an eight-year-old child.
"If the parrot is frightened, it may have blood in its stool," he said.
"In this case, the caregiver may have been too rough when holding the parrot, hurting it."
When Ms Huang brought up the autopsy report to the pet care service, they reportedly admitted negligence and offered compensation.
In addition to Gru's tragic death, Ms Huang's green parrot also fell from the 26th-storey balcony during the incident. The parrot was found injured but alive on a fruit tree on the ground floor.
She added that she discovered afterwards that the company was never registered and only had experience in raising parrots.
"I think I should be compensated, Gru's death should not be in vain," she said.
"Many netizens told me that the local parrot pet market is very chaotic and many untrained pet caregivers provide services casually and continue to do business under a new name after an accident."
Ms Huang has filed a police report against the pet care service and is urging the authorities to investigate the matter. She believes the incident highlights the need for better regulation and training for pet care professionals in Singapore.
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