After he flew away from his Californian home back in 2010, a grey African parrot, named Nigel, was finally reunited with his British owner Darren Chick four years later.
However, the impeccable British accent the parrot used to have was now gone, and the bird chattered in Spanish, often asking for someone named ‘Larry.’
Nigel was found in Torrance by Julissa Sperling, the owner of a dog-grooming business, been whistling and chattering outside her front door. She took him in as he matched a missing pet advertisement she’d seen.
She explained the happiest bird she’s seen, singing and talking without control. Nigel was also barking like the dogs.
She began her search online and found another owner, Teresa Micco, that had been searching for a similar-looking parrot. Ms. Sperling handed Nigel over to Micco, yet Micco instantly knew Nigel was not her bird.
Nigel had a microchip embedded in his leg, but when Micco checked, it wasn’t her pet’s. Sperling later said that she felt sorry for her, as her face changed when she found out it was not her pet. Still, she was determined to reunite Nigel with his owner.
It turned out that no one had registered the microchip, so paper sales records were traced to Animal Lovers pet store in Torrance. Luckily, the shop kept its old paper records and made a note of the band number that was originally on the bird’s leg.
Yet, when the two reunited, Nigel initially bit him. Mr. Chick said that seeing his long-lost pet for the first time in four years brought a tear to his eye.
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