Zoo Removes Parrots From Display For Swearing At Visitors

Parrots at a UK zoo ruffled quite a few feathers when they started swearing at visitors. The Lincolnshire Wildlife Park said the five African grey parrots were removed from public display for cursing customers, reports Lincolnshire Live.

The parrots, named Eric, Jade, Elsie, Tyson and Billy, had arrived at the zoo only recently. They were given to the Lincolnshire Wildlife Park by different owners within the same week and zoo authorities decided to quarantine them together. After a very short period of time, they started throwing obscenities at each other - and at visitors when the birds were put on public display. 

Park officials say that they taught each other to swear during their time together. 

"It just went ballistic, they were all swearing," park chief executive Steve Nichols told CNN Travel. "We were a little concerned about the children."

"For the last 25 years, we have always taken in parrots that have sometimes had a bit of blue language and we have really got used to that," he added to Lincolnshire Live.

"Every now and then you'll get one that swears and it's always funny. We always find it very comical when they do swear at you.

"But, just by coincidence, we took in five in the same week and because they were all quarantined together it meant that one room was just full of swearing birds.

Zoo authorities had hoped that putting the birds on display would help them kick their bad habit. Instead, visitors laughing at their foul language only encouraged them further.

"The more they swear the more you usually laugh which then triggers them to swear again," said Mr Nichols. 

Concerns about children being exposed to the foul language prompted zoo authorities to separate the parrots and remove them from public view.

"I'm hoping they learn different words within colonies - but if they teach the others bad language and I end up with 250 swearing birds, I don't know what we'll do," Mr Nichols told the BBC. "Some visitors found it funny but with kids visiting at weekends, we decided to move them."

Staff is hoping that their language will become more family-friendly with time.