olena
<font color=green>Emerald Angel<br><font color=mag
- Joined
- May 12, 2001
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- 22,565
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian police have issued an APB (All Parrots Bulletin) for Hector the galah, a talkative pink and gray bird they fear was stolen from a Sydney pet shop.
Hector had sat cheerfully at the front door of Doug Eyre's suburban pet shop for 31 years, delighting passers-by with cheerful chatter that included "Give me a kiss," "Hector's got a cough" and "See you later, mate."
But the galah, a bird similar to a cockatoo, went missing last Saturday.
Police issued a statement earlier this week which said Hector was last seen being carried off in his cage by a grey-haired woman in her 50s and placed into a car.
"Police are investigating reports that the galah may have been 'liberated' by a welfare group concerned at Hector's caging," the statement said. "Hector is still missing," a police spokesman said on Thursday.
Eyre fears his feathered friend has become an ex-parrot.
"Our family is not taking this too well but a lot of people have been coming in, asking where he's gone and crying when they find out he was stolen," Eyre said.
Hector's cause has been championed by The Daily Telegraph newspaper. The Sydney tabloid ran a front-page photo of the bird on Wednesday next to the headline: "Give the Parrot Back."
"What kind of people steal a talking galah that has been part of a community for 31 years," the newspaper demanded.
On Thursday, the Telegraph ran another front-page story containing pleas for his return from high-profile community members including Prime Minister John Howard.
"I urge the culprit to return Hector for the continuing enjoyment of local passers-by," Howard told the newspaper.
The New South Wales state premier, Bob Carr, added: "My simple plea is this: bring Hector back safe and well."
Galahs are found across the Australian mainland and can live for up to 80 years. In rural Australia flocks of hundreds of galahs are regarded as pests who eat stockfeed.
Poor Hector........
Hector had sat cheerfully at the front door of Doug Eyre's suburban pet shop for 31 years, delighting passers-by with cheerful chatter that included "Give me a kiss," "Hector's got a cough" and "See you later, mate."
But the galah, a bird similar to a cockatoo, went missing last Saturday.
Police issued a statement earlier this week which said Hector was last seen being carried off in his cage by a grey-haired woman in her 50s and placed into a car.
"Police are investigating reports that the galah may have been 'liberated' by a welfare group concerned at Hector's caging," the statement said. "Hector is still missing," a police spokesman said on Thursday.
Eyre fears his feathered friend has become an ex-parrot.
"Our family is not taking this too well but a lot of people have been coming in, asking where he's gone and crying when they find out he was stolen," Eyre said.
Hector's cause has been championed by The Daily Telegraph newspaper. The Sydney tabloid ran a front-page photo of the bird on Wednesday next to the headline: "Give the Parrot Back."
"What kind of people steal a talking galah that has been part of a community for 31 years," the newspaper demanded.
On Thursday, the Telegraph ran another front-page story containing pleas for his return from high-profile community members including Prime Minister John Howard.
"I urge the culprit to return Hector for the continuing enjoyment of local passers-by," Howard told the newspaper.
The New South Wales state premier, Bob Carr, added: "My simple plea is this: bring Hector back safe and well."
Galahs are found across the Australian mainland and can live for up to 80 years. In rural Australia flocks of hundreds of galahs are regarded as pests who eat stockfeed.
Poor Hector........
