She’s young, she’s beautiful, and she’s dangerous! Three-year-old Chloe, a Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo, is the latest addition to the Garuda Aviary flock . . . and she loves guys.
Trouble is, she persistently attacks women—when they are alone. She goes for the face, the chest, the neck, and on one woman (who was running away!) her calf as well. In that incident, someone else along the road had to get 18 stitches.
You never know what you’re getting with a parrot, but chances are it’s a time bomb. Chloe’s behavior has blown up in the face of everyone who’s given her a home, but her behavior isn’t all that unusual for Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos, even though— like Chloe— they can be both beautiful and funny.
So it’s no surprise that Chloe’s been through several homes, and has been sold or given away several times after attacks. Her original owner sold her on Craigslist; the elderly couple who bought her found her ready to be picked up in the seller’s front hall. With no contact or conversation about their new animal companion, they didn’t know what they were getting into and— after two attacks in their home— sold her to a pet store. A man who was the next buyer brought her to Animal Control after Chloe attacked his girlfriend.
A staffer at the shelter from which we accepted Chloe asked, ”Now that I’ve told you all this, has that changed your mind?” No!
Funny I am writing this almost a year to the date Chloe arrived. I have the good fortune to help out in the aviary one day a week, and Chloe and I have developed a nice relationship. It is all through the wire of the cage, of course, but she likes me to rub her nose and sometimes the top of her head, and is very responsive to kisses and “pretty girl”. Chloe has never shown me any sign of aggression,and is pretty calm, although I am a woman. Glad she feels at home and relaxed in the aviary!