upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

rpavlis2 · by **rpavlis2** on Wed Jul 25, 2007 11:50 am

Several years ago a couple I knew very well lived with a collection of birds. The man of the house had two large specimens of the type of Umbrella cockatoo I like to call the "Great White", and that lady of house had a Goffins.

The man of the house became extraordinarily allergic to birds so they had to find new humans for their birds. (Vivian the male goffins who lives in my bird room was the Goffins from this collection.) The man became so sick from contact with the birds that it was life threatening, by the way.

As I remember, the other cockatoos were temporarily in the care of a friend, and they found a permanent home for them about a year later. At any rate the temporary care giver brought the male cockatoo to a bird fair, because the person who was going to take the bird permanently planned to come there too. The bird was angry and really upset when I saw it. His former person came on the scene, and the bird suddenly was happy. He handled the angry bird, and the bird was so happy to see his former human. It was touching how the bird was suddenly so happy. Sadly, the bird was very disappointed when his person could not keep him. Even this brief contact caused him some allergy problems, as I remember.

Also several years ago there was a very sad incident in Dallas that was in the newspapers. A man had a Molloccan, I believe it was, anyway a large cockatoo, and someone broke into the man's home while he was home and with the bird. The intruder killed the man. The bird savagely attacked the intruder. The bird was also killed by the intruder. As I remember it, the intruder was identified by the fact that he had many cockatoo bites, and the killer's blood was all over the crime scene from the bird's brave attacks in his attempts to defend his human.

Cyndie · by **Cyndie** on Wed Jul 25, 2007 1:19 pm

That is so interesting..most people only think of loyalty in animals from the canine species. I hadn't heard the story of the moluccan, but for some reason that doesn't surprise me. It just goes to show that we totally underestimate these birds.