Friday, March 27, 2009

Feel Good Story


Willie, a Quaker parrot in Denver, Colo., has been given a lifesaver award by the local Red Cross chapter.

This story is from the Associated Press:

A parrot whose cries of alarm alerted his owner when a little girl choked on her breakfast has been honored as a hero.

Willie, a Quaker parrot, has been given the local Red Cross chapter's Animal Lifesaver Award.
In November, Willie's owner, Megan Howard, was baby-sitting for a toddler. Howard left the room and the little girl, Hannah, started to choke on her breakfast.


Willie repeatedly yelled "Mama, baby" and flapped his wings, and Howard returned in time to find the girl already turning blue.

Howard saved Hannah by performing the Heimlich maneuver but said Willie "is the real hero."
"The part where she turned blue is always when my heart drops no matter how many times I've heard it," Hannah's mother, Samantha Kuusk, told KCNC-TV. "My heart drops in my stomach and I get all teary eyed."


Willie got his award during a "Breakfast of Champions" event Friday attended by Gov. Bill Ritter and Mayor John Hickenlooper.

The story might seem unbelievable, I recommend you read Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--And Formed a Deep Bond in the Process. It's an eye-opening tale about animal research and I loved it.

If you find yourself unable to comment; please hit the HOME button at the top left of this blog.

3 comments:

Sally said...

Wow. Amazing. Thanks for sharing.

Daryl said...

Perfect Friday morning read, Jan, thanks for the smile

Jan n Jer said...

That is a heartwarming and amazing story. Those birds are so smart.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...