Escaped Parrot In Decatur Finds His Way Home To Mom

DECATUR, GA — Decatur resident Laurie Sanii had been searching for her beloved parrot, Darwin, for two days.

Her voice was hoarse from calling his name and whistling to him. Her portable speaker, if it could talk, would be begging for a rest from playing Darwin's whistles over and over again. But Sanii couldn't give up on her baby — and now they're reunited.

Darwin, an 18-year-old Moluccan King Parrot, escaped from Sanii's home last week after she accidentally left the front door open too long. She's had Darwin since he was just a few months old, she told Patch, and thought of him as her child.

Read more: Parrot Flew The Coop, But Decatur Mom Wants Him Home

Sanii spent two days feverishly posting on social media, walking around neighborhoods and hoping someone would spot him. She could hear his distinct whistle, but couldn't see him.

But thanks to the kindness and fast-thinking of some Decatur neighbors, Darwin made it home to his human mom last Friday.

Melissa Dunckel, a Decatur-area resident, posted in a local Facebook group saying she saw a bird flying around the parking deck of her apartment complex near the Avondale Estates MARTA station — about 2 miles southeast from Darwin's house.

She said it had a red head, which matched Darwin's distinct vibrant coloring.

"I was driving out of my parking deck and saw a bird flying around, which is rare. Then I noticed a bright red head and knew it had to be a pet," Dunckel told Patch.

She said the bird, later identified as Darwin, kept flying onto a dog crate on the back of someone's truck, when apartment resident Quinelle Bethelmie walked out and saw what was going on.

Bethelmie was headed out on an errand with her mom when she spotted Dunckel taking photos of Darwin.

"The first thing she asked me was if I knew how to catch a bird," Bethelmie told Patch. "I certainly didn't, but I got out of the car anyway to take photos and see if he'd let me get close to him."

Several other group members directed the women to Patch's article on the lost bird, as well as Sanii's initial Facebook post about losing Darwin, which has over 400 shares.

Bethelmie started calling Darwin's name — and he responded by moving closer to her, she said.

"As far as birds go, I'd only ever held a chicken ... but at a certain point I figured that I could probably just pick Darwin up and take him upstairs to my apartment, which is exactly what I did," Bethelmie said. "He didn't like it at all, but I kept reassuring him that it was okay, which surprisingly seemed to help."

They emptied Bethelmie's dog's crate and placed Darwin safely inside, which made him settle down, according to Bethelmie. Shortly after, Sanii's husband, Rob Kriegel, arrived to pick up Darwin.

"Rob seemed particularly happy to see the little guy. After confirming that this tropical bird was in fact Darwin, we put the crate in my car and drove Darwin home," Bethelmie said.

Sanii said she can't thank Dunckel and Bethelmie enough for their help, so she wants to make sure there's a way to give back to the two women who brought Darwin home to her.

"I hope people here who have been following this story will be able to throw some money their way, as a repayment for their kindness to me," Sanii said.

• Dunckel and her aunt run an after-school program in the city of Decatur, called CAATINGA! Art and Nature, that was hit hard financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To donate to Dunckel's program, visit this GoFundMe campaign link.
• Bethelmie has been accepted to law school in Washington, D.C. and has a GoFundMe campaign set up to help with school-related expenses. She works two jobs and creates art, which can be purchased online.

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