SHERIFF
01-20-2004, 11:41 AM
Winston Churchill's pet parrot, whom he reportedly trained to spew out obscenity-laced curses against Adolph Hitler and the Nazis--has been found alive and well at a ripe old 104 years old.
At least, that's what the owners claim.
Charlie, a blue and gold macaw, now lives at Heathfield Nurseries in London and was tracked down by a British newspaper. According to the family that owns Charlie, the bird was originally sold to Churchill in 1937 by Percy Dabner, the father-in-law of current owner Peter Oram, who was asked to take it back after the prime minister died in 1965, reports Reuters.
But Charlie won't talk to reporters. "He doesn't say very much anymore -- usually just hello and goodbye," Heathfield Nurseries' manager Sylvia Martin, told Reuters. "But he does get so excited about music and dances to it. He's very fit." Word has it that when Churchill owned the parrot during World War II, Charlie was famous for squawking four-letter obscenities about Hitler.
Is this really Churchill's parrot? That's the new mystery of the day. Steve Nichols, founder of Britain's National Parrot Sanctuary, told Reuters that although parrots do not often live longer than 40 in the wild, some have lived to up to 110 in captivity. But Britain's PA News is now reporting there is some question as to whether the Heathfield Nurseries' parrot was really Churchill's feathered friend. The claim is being investigated by staff members at Chartwell, Churchill's country home in Kent that is now run by the National Trust. The Orem family is holding fast to their assertion, though. "He definitely did belong to Churchill," insists Martin
At least, that's what the owners claim.
Charlie, a blue and gold macaw, now lives at Heathfield Nurseries in London and was tracked down by a British newspaper. According to the family that owns Charlie, the bird was originally sold to Churchill in 1937 by Percy Dabner, the father-in-law of current owner Peter Oram, who was asked to take it back after the prime minister died in 1965, reports Reuters.
But Charlie won't talk to reporters. "He doesn't say very much anymore -- usually just hello and goodbye," Heathfield Nurseries' manager Sylvia Martin, told Reuters. "But he does get so excited about music and dances to it. He's very fit." Word has it that when Churchill owned the parrot during World War II, Charlie was famous for squawking four-letter obscenities about Hitler.
Is this really Churchill's parrot? That's the new mystery of the day. Steve Nichols, founder of Britain's National Parrot Sanctuary, told Reuters that although parrots do not often live longer than 40 in the wild, some have lived to up to 110 in captivity. But Britain's PA News is now reporting there is some question as to whether the Heathfield Nurseries' parrot was really Churchill's feathered friend. The claim is being investigated by staff members at Chartwell, Churchill's country home in Kent that is now run by the National Trust. The Orem family is holding fast to their assertion, though. "He definitely did belong to Churchill," insists Martin