Screaming Macaw scares off Burglars

[Mech]

Shouting Macaw scares off burglar at pet store

Fri Jan 11, 10:22 AM ET

BOSTON (Reuters) - Watch dogs are a pretty common first line of security for U.S. homes and businesses. Watch birds not so much. But that didn't stop Merlin, a seven-year-old blue-and-gold macaw who scared off a burglar at a Massachusetts pet store this week.


Intruders smashed the front window of Pet Palace in Leominster, about 45 miles west of Boston, and as they entered the store the bird began to shout, said store manager Lori Oltman on Thursday.

"When he hears someone come into the building, or the puppies get riled up or whatever, he'll start calling for Rhonda, who is the woman who used to own him," Oltman said. "He was screaming for Rhonda and they weren't aware that it was a bird and not a person. And so they took flight rather quickly."

Macaws are a variety of parrot, a highly intelligent group of birds known for their ability to reproduce human speech.

Oltman said police figured out what happened when they arrived and heard the bird screaming in the back room. She said the burglar escaped with just $15 in change.

It was not the first time the bird's voice confused a person, she said.

"He has some really colorful language, so he spends a lot of time in the back of the store," Oltman said. "And you really can't tell that it's a bird. He sounds just like a person when he talks, a lot of times people are fooled by that."

[Swamp Gas]

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Parrot Teaches Autistic Boy How to Talk

By United Kingdom News Group


Autistic children do not learn very well from experience. Often each event is a completely new occurrence to the child, even if the exact same thing happened yesterday. Therefore, consistency in everything the parents or teacher do and say is vital in education for an autistic child. Recently, a 4 year old boy from Blackburn, United Kingdom, is lucky to have an amazing teacher to teach him how to speak. This teacher is a gold macaw.

Four year old Dylan Hargreaves suffers severe learning difficulties and had never spoken a single word. But after listening to Barney the macaw, he can now say “Night, night,” “Dad,” “Mum,” “Ta,” “Hallo,” and “Bye.” Dylan’s mum Michelle said, “Barney has changed our lives. Before he arrived, Dylan would try to speak, but the sound came out as a noise. Then we got Barney and, a few months later, Dylan began to talk. It was only the odd word, but I could clearly understand what he said. Every time I gave the bird something to say, Dylan started trying to say the same thing. I think it’s because the bird says things slower than me, which helps Dylan understand. Now when I put him to bed he says, ‘Night, night, mum.’ It means the world to me.”

Dylan’s mum credits his progress to Barney, because the boy loves his pet so much. The enjoyment the macaw brings attracts the child and keeps his attention and the bird’s slow repetition of words has greatly helped the boy’s learning process. What a beautiful and smart creature God has placed in the world to accompany us and to even teach us!