Four-day search for lost African grey parrot Kiki ends in joy
An Equestria East family has expressed gratitude to social media users and neighbours who helped track down their pet after she vanished from home.
A family has been reunited with their beloved African grey parrot, Kiki, after she went missing for four days from her Willow Green Estate home in Equestria.
Kiki went missing on Friday, October 9, at about13:30, prompting a search by her family and local community members. Marinda Beumer said a woman from Bishops’ Creek in Vergelegen Road eventually found the pet on Tuesday, October 13.
“She is now home safe. Traumatised, but safe. She ate her apple like there was no tomorrow.”
Beumer admitted her greatest fear was that Kiki was an indoor bird and unaccustomed to living outdoors, and noted how difficult the ordeal had been for her family. Expressing gratitude to everyone who shared posts and sent messages of hope, she said Kiki’s return renewed her hope in community solidarity.
“And best of all, our home feels like a home again too,” said Beumer. “I know some people see Kiki and think it’s just a bird, but for us (we don’t have any children) she is like a child and we love her to bits.”
She expressed hope that Kiki’s story would inspire others, leading to more lost pets being reunited with their families.
“Social media works. I have connected with so many loving and caring people through this ordeal and it’s really refreshing to see how much people still care.”
Social media aids search
The family discovered Kiki had stayed inside the estate for several days only after speaking to gardeners and domestic workers on Monday, October 12. They had spotted Kiki on a rooftop on Sunday, October 11, just before sunset.
“She appeared very happy to see us, flapping her wings and making noises, but she was too frightened to fly down,” Beumer said.
Her husband climbed onto the roof to reach the bird, but Kiki flew into a tall palm tree in a neighbouring garden. As darkness fell, the family placed her cage and food where she could see them in the hope she would return, but she had vanished by sunrise.
Beumer said Kiki is a much-loved family member, and the thought of her alone and frightened during the recent hot, dry weather was devastating.
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