Lock-picking parrot found more than 30 miles away
A pet parrot that picked a lock and escaped its cage was found more than 30 miles away - after a community rallied to find him.
Animal lover Lorrett McCutcheon, 53, had just bought the bird called Albert Sebastian.
But Albert managed to jimmy the latch on the cage - and disappeared from the home in Cumbernauld, Scotland.
Devastated Lorrett and her husband took to social media to get word out and after four days of searching had nearly given up hope.
Locals went our for walks trying to find him - calling his name.
A parrot matching Albert’s description was then found on a farm – 32 miles away in the Ayrshire village of Beith.
Lorrett said: “My other two birds were out in the garden that day – Albert was allowed out, but in his cage.
“As he was playing with his toys, unbeknownst to me, he was flicking the latch.
''I went upstairs, and I heard my husband screaming – ‘the parrot’s out, the parrot’s out!’
“From that moment, my whole world turned into a nightmare. I was distraught.
“My husband was sharing it in lots of Facebook groups, and it just kept getting shared and shared.
“We’d go on walks and find people looking for my parrot. I saw people walking around and shouting his name into the trees trying to find him.
“I was knocking on doors, crying and asking people if they’d seen my bird – I must have looked crazy!
“The community was just amazing – people were sending me pictures and asking if they’d found my bird.
“On the fourth day, I’d basically given up hope – but someone had been walking their dog near a farm and spotted Albert on top of a vehicle.
“It turned out that that person had a friend who used to be an inspector for the RSPCA, so they managed to catch him and take him to a vet.
“Within two hours of that person posting on Facebook, someone from my community had messaged my husband and let us know. I basically collapsed to my knees.
“I live in Cumbernauld and Albert was found in Beith – that’s 32 miles away!”
“It’s a miracle that he was found. It’s the kindness of people – maybe because they know what it’s like to lose a loved one or a pet.
“People were coming together to find him – nobody gave up hope.”
“Every area where the cage opens has an extra padlock. It’s like Fort Knox at the moment.
“Seeing Albert arrive back home safe has given hope to so many people – someone told me that this was proof that miracles do happen.”
Animal lover Lorrett McCutcheon, 53, had just bought the bird called Albert Sebastian.
But Albert managed to jimmy the latch on the cage - and disappeared from the home in Cumbernauld, Scotland.
Devastated Lorrett and her husband took to social media to get word out and after four days of searching had nearly given up hope.
Locals went our for walks trying to find him - calling his name.
A parrot matching Albert’s description was then found on a farm – 32 miles away in the Ayrshire village of Beith.
Lorrett said: “My other two birds were out in the garden that day – Albert was allowed out, but in his cage.
“As he was playing with his toys, unbeknownst to me, he was flicking the latch.
''I went upstairs, and I heard my husband screaming – ‘the parrot’s out, the parrot’s out!’
“From that moment, my whole world turned into a nightmare. I was distraught.
“My husband was sharing it in lots of Facebook groups, and it just kept getting shared and shared.
“We’d go on walks and find people looking for my parrot. I saw people walking around and shouting his name into the trees trying to find him.
“I was knocking on doors, crying and asking people if they’d seen my bird – I must have looked crazy!
“The community was just amazing – people were sending me pictures and asking if they’d found my bird.
“On the fourth day, I’d basically given up hope – but someone had been walking their dog near a farm and spotted Albert on top of a vehicle.
“It turned out that that person had a friend who used to be an inspector for the RSPCA, so they managed to catch him and take him to a vet.
“Within two hours of that person posting on Facebook, someone from my community had messaged my husband and let us know. I basically collapsed to my knees.
“I live in Cumbernauld and Albert was found in Beith – that’s 32 miles away!”
“It’s a miracle that he was found. It’s the kindness of people – maybe because they know what it’s like to lose a loved one or a pet.
“People were coming together to find him – nobody gave up hope.”
“Every area where the cage opens has an extra padlock. It’s like Fort Knox at the moment.
“Seeing Albert arrive back home safe has given hope to so many people – someone told me that this was proof that miracles do happen.”