Said a shrill voice from behind him, seemingly from out of nowhere, “Peekaboo.”
Reed Schweizer looked around and heard it again, “Peekaboo.”
Soon enough, the Floridian spotted the bright-green parrot perched near his table, where he had been enjoying a cocktail on the patio.
Schweizer would later call it an “Easter miracle” that the 5-year-old Solomon Island eclectus parrot approached him for help that day, April 9, and ended up reunited with his worried owner.
He would not learn the parrot’s name—Tiki—until after finding the bird’s owner, Brent Chadwell from Cape Coral, through searching on social media.
Days earlier, on April 6, that owner had received a distressed call from his wife while he was at the car dealership where he works. Tiki was gone!
She'd been sweeping the lanai and accidentally left Tiki’s cage open.
“He flew out of the lanai and she immediately called me at work,” Chadwell, 34, told The Epoch Times. “I was devastated and I told her there was a 50/50 chance we would ever see him again.”
One of the first things he did on hearing this was post pictures of their beloved bird on Facebook, though he was far from optimistic about finding Tiki.
On Easter Sunday, he and his wife went walking all morning calling Tiki’s name. On returning home at 3 p.m. without any luck, they ate and were prepared to go out again—when Chadwell decided to check Facebook and saw a response.
“A family three miles away living on the golf course had found him,” he said.
It was Schweitzer who found Tiki. And fortunately his sister, a veterinarian technician, was in town, visiting from Houston, and had been able to pick up the bird after he got their attention.
Tiki then allowed himself to be handled and they put him in a bathroom for safekeeping so he wouldn’t fly away. They then took to Facebook and posted about the found bird.
And not 20 minutes later, they were speaking to Chadwell on the phone for someone had seen their posts online and gave them his contact information.
“I was extremely relieved,” Chadwell said. “I started crying as soon as I saw the pictures they sent because I knew it was Tiki and he was safe.”
He got their address and drove over immediately. Soon, Tiki was back in his owners’ hands and happily headed home.
“He stepped up for me, said ‘Hi!’ and went right into the pet carrier,” Chadwell said. “About an hour after he was found, he was home safe and in his cage.”
Birds bond for life and become part of the family, Chadwell says, highlighting the importance of the reunion. But the “miracle” of Tiki’s return would also touch the hearts of many far and wide through Facebook and the media.
“The reaction has been amazing!” Chadwell said. “I never knew so many people would be touched by Tiki’s adventure.”
Curious followers have queried Chadwell as to what else Tiki can say, besides “peekaboo.”
“Hi, hello, Tiki, tickle-tickle-tickle, tickle your toes, gimme that foot, step up, come here, what are you doing, rowdy,” Chadwell said. “He also imitates cell phone noises like Facebook message notification, WhatsApp notification, and low battery, he can cluck like a chicken.”
And the moral of the story? “Don’t give up hope,” Chadwell said. “Keep looking, keep posting, tell everyone you see out walking around, and you will find your bird.
“If you find a bird, get it inside to a safe place like your bathroom where it can’t hurt itself or fly away. Give it water, take pictures, and post everywhere to find the owner.”
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