Parrot reunited with owner

WARWICK — On Nov. 9, the Town of Warwick had just lifted its state of emergency following Hurricane Sandy when the Warwick Valley Humane Society received a call about a stray parrot trying to get into a house on Wheeler Road in the Village of Florida.

Animal Control Officer Tom Neely responded and safely caught a red and purple parrot wearing a band.

The shelter hadn’t received any calls about anyone missing such a bird, which turned out to be a female Vos Eclectus.

(This type of parrot is native to the Solomon Islands, Sumba, New Guinea and nearby islands, northeastern Australia and the Maluku Islands. According to various online Web sites devoted to the subject, it is unusual in the parrot family for its extreme sexual dimorphism of the colors of the plumage; the male having a mostly bright emerald green plumage and the female a mostly bright red and purple/blue plumage.)

“The band only told us she was hatched in the State of Florida and sold out of Texas,” said Suzyn Barron, president of the Warwick Valley Humane Society. “She was obviously someone’s well cared for and expensive pet but we had no way of finding her owner without giving out her description.”

Reunited

That might have led to a fraudulent claim but fortunately, on Nov. 28, the shelter received a call from Linda Raffaele of the Village of Florida, reporting that her Eclectus parrot, Violet, flew away after the hurricane and ended up on a neighbor’s roof. Her health prevented her from searching for her bird until this day.

“Raffaele’s veterinarian verified that she owned the parrot,” said Barron, “and we also knew that the bird would let us know if Raffaele really was her owner.”

On Nov. 29, Linda Raffaele and Violet were reunited.

“There was no doubt that Violet knew Linda,” said Barron. “They were both delighted to be together again.”

Lizards and pigs

Dogs and cats are not the only pets that get lost and need a safe place to wait for their owners to claim them.

The Warwick Humane Society has reunited other parrots and exotics including a four-foot Monitor Lizard and a 100-plus pound pot bellied pig named Kevin who was impounded by animal control for being at large.

“Fortunately, we guessed right who his parents were and they redeemed him immediately,” said Barron. “Thank God! We never know what the next animal control call will be, so our officers are always ready to meet the challenge.”

Essential information

To report a lost pet or for additional information call the Warwick Valley Humane Society Animal Shelter at 986-2473 or visit: www.wvhumane.org.

- Roger Gavan