Shut Your Beak! Foul-Mouthed Parrots Isolated for Swearing
In a desperate effort to clean up their act, a bunch of incredibly foul-mouthed parrots that were kept isolated from the rest of the flock are getting a second chance to become model citizens.
Officials at the Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in the UK are relocating the notorious avian offenders to a new aviary, where they will no longer swear like sailors and disturb the peace.
Apparently, the profanity-laden parrots picked up their curse words from staff members who had previously worked around them. According to Steve Nichols, CEO of the park, the birds had an impressive talent for swearing, and it soon turned into a vicious cycle.
“These birds have been isolated for some time, and we were worried they were teaching other birds to swear,” said Nichols. “It’s not ideal for the public to hear the birds cursing, especially young children.”
The swearing parrots, whose identities have not been disclosed, have been getting a lot of attention from visitors despite their inappropriate language. However, park officials say that many guests have requested refunds after hearing the birds’ colorful vocabulary.
“It just wasn’t the kind of experience they were expecting,” said Nichols. “It’s understandable that some people might find it amusing, but others could be offended.”
The executive director of the zoo, Andy Hall, states that kids’ self-esteem is being damaged by the birds that have a filthy and unpleasant lexis. Hall has gone even further by adding that identifying those staff that taught the birds these words would be a priority.
Meanwhile, the staff at the wildlife park have been teaching the parrots new words and phrases, thus expunging their impolite language. Nichols said that it is easier to improve their vocabulary than teach them to stop using expletives.
“We are in no way condoning the behavior of these birds,” added Nichols. “But we believe that with time, patience, and positive reinforcement, they can learn to speak more appropriately.”
The parrots are being introduced slowly to the other birds to get used to them and, hopefully, start copying a brand new vocabulary. Nonetheless, staff members recognize that teaching the parrots to be more polite could be uphill work since they are independent, intelligent birds and might choose to continue their cussing out of spite.
“It’s a bit of a gamble, but we’re hopeful for their future,” said Nichols. “We just want them to be a good influence on the other birds.”
Visitors will be relieved to know that they can visit the park without being subjected to such a vulgar side of nature. Any products related to “polly want a cracker” have been removed from the gift shop and replaced with materials promoting finer language and etiquette.
