Charlie the parrot, 40, reunited with owner after bird-brained adventure and firefighter rescue with a banana

THE rescue of a lost parrot showed the kindness of human nature this week, according to pet owner Paul White.

Charlie the African grey parrot was sitting on Paul’s shoulder for his usual walkabout when a loud noise frightened him, prompting him to fly off and go missing on Monday.

He was rescued by firefighters a few hours later.

Paul, 42, told the Herald: “When we go outside he sits on my shoulder as good as gold, but a loud train siren noise startled him – he doesn’t usually even fly.”

Incredibly, Charlie is 40 years old and belonged to Paul’s mum, who died from cancer more than ten years ago. “I’ve grown up with Charlie – he’s my best friend,” said Paul.

The incident happened near Paul’s home off Birmingham Road. In a desperate bid to find Charlie, Paul jumped over a fence by the railway line, landing badly and spraining his ankle.

A train pulled up beside him and a conductor warned Paul he might be fined, but when the crew found out Charlie was lost they stepped in to help, inviting Paul on board for the short ride to the station to see if they could spot him on the way.

“I couldn’t believe how kind they were,” said Paul. “And everyone who has helped has been incredible.”

After failing to find Charlie, Paul put out an SOS on Facebook. When someone spotted Charlie in a tree in Masons Road, everyone rallied round again.

“Someone came and drove me there because of my ankle, and the firefighters stepped in, even staying beyond their shift to help.”

Charlie was eventually rescued by Stratford firefighters with the help of a tempting banana. Stratford crew commander Chris Lowe said: “It was certainly one of our more unusual callouts.

“Luckily Charlie ended up in a tree conveniently situated in the fire station drill yard. He was too high up for the owner to reach. It turned out Charlie likes bananas so the crew managed to entice Charlie into a box with the tempting fruit inside. Charlie was quite happy in the box eating his snack.”

Chris added that it was always good to have a happy ending: “We all need some light relief after the tough times we’ve had.”

Meanwhile, Paul said he was feeling very tearful after all the help. “Stratfordians are the loveliest people. I don’t have children and I know it’s soppy but Charlie is like my child.”

Since his rescue, Charlie has been taking it easy. “He normally doesn’t shut up,” said Paul. “But he’s been sleeping a lot since his big adventure.”