KEEPER OF PARROT HOUSE

Waipa Post, Volume 32, Issue 1782, 13 July 1926, Page 6

KEEPER OF PARROT HOUSE

Twenty years in pandemonium may be said to be the experience of Mr W. Alden, head keeper of the Parrot House at the London Zoo.

Keeper Alden’s ears are so inured to discord, however, that he is quite proud of the vocal accomplishments of his charges. His particular .favourite is probably Cocky, a 55-year-old Australian silver-crested, cockatoo, which came to the Zoo 19 years ago. “ 'Cocky,” said Keeper Alden, “will ask to come out of his cage, pick bis own key from a bunch, and apen the door by lifting up the small latch. “(He will turn somersaults upon command, and his usual remark to passers-by is, ‘Want a drink?’ When people say What?’ ‘Cocky replies quite plainly, ‘Want a drink of water?’ as though he were tafraid of giving offence.”

“ Another old favourite of mine is taken out of doors on her swing, the Norah, a blue and l yellow macaw. When first thing she calls out is, ‘Hold tight.’

“ She will bark and meow just like a dog or a cat, while another trick is to mimic people with a cold, coughing and sneezing exactly as they do.

“ We have 'had some operatic stars here -at times, including several pets of Madame Patti, who, trained by her, used to run right up the scale to the highest notes. Amongst our performing birds, Mary, a cockatoo, is a wonderful dancer. Thouigh a hundred years old she still waltzes and jazze-s. One of our mogt amusing birds is a small Senegal parrot, which will ‘die’ to order.

“ In training parrots you must never lose your temper,” said Keeper Alden. “ You have to be very patient, but when you have trained them they will never forget. Some parrots, however, are very vicious ,and yo'H can never teach them anything.”