STOMPer Jobey is offering a $5000 reward for anyone who finds his bird which went missing in the Braddell area on Thursday (May 27).
"My Congo African Grey has recently flown out of my house on May 27," he wrote in an email to STOMP.
"I live near the Braddell area, and it is a fact that Greys are known to fly around a 3km radius.
"Please mail me at [redacted]
"The reward for finding him is $5000 and up.
"Please do not question why the reward is so high, as my 'Perry' (that is his name), is very dear to me and my family.
"He is practically like a brother to me. Please keep a look out for my Perry. Thanks for taking note."
It appears that the African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) is a species that is quite commonly kept as a pet locally. Singapore is a hub for the exotic bird trade, and it is inevitable that escapes occur, whether from zoological collections like the Jurong Bird Park, or private owners. This particular case reminds me a lot of a post I wrote last year about another missing African grey parrot. My comments about this newest incident are essentially unchanged; I suppose pet owners should always remain alert about the whereabouts of their animals, and take great care to reduce the chances for their pets to slip out of enclosures and end up getting lost. The likelihood of African grey parrots eventually becoming established here is still very small, although if more people are careless to keep losing their apparently very expensive parrots, it would not be surprising if these exotic and non-native species end up breeding here.
