No Parrots Were Harmed

Photo of Yosuke the African grey parrot from the article "Lost Parrot Tells Veterinarian His Address" (below), which Stefalala sent me.
I don't think she even knows I have a policy of posting parrot stories, such as last fall's Obituary for Alex the African Grey.

Update on Alex (still dead) is in the May 12, 2008, issue of the New Yorker:
"Birdbrain" by Margaret Talbot: A woman and her chatty parrots.
It's not available online, but there is an audio offering:
Word Bird, including samples of Alex the parrot talking.

TOKYO Wed May 21
When Yosuke the parrot flew out of his cage and got lost, he did exactly what he had been taught — recite his name and address to a stranger willing to help.

Police rescued the African grey parrot two weeks ago from a neighbor's roof in the city of Nagareyama, near Tokyo. After spending a night at the station, he was transferred to a nearby veterinary hospital while police searched for clues, local policeman Shinjiro Uemura said.
He kept mum with the cops, but began chatting after a few days with the vet.

"I'm Mr. Yosuke Nakamura," the bird told the veterinarian, according to Uemura.
The parrot also provided his full home address, down to the street number, and even entertained the hospital staff by singing songs.
"We checked the address, and what do you know, a Nakamura family really lived there. So we told them we've found Yosuke," Uemura said.
The Nakamura family told police they had been teaching the bird its name and address for about two years.
But Yosuke apparently wasn't keen on opening up to police officials.
"I tried to be friendly and talked to him, but he completely ignored me," Uemura said.