Police seize parrot trained as drug gang lookout

[ytsejam]

A parrot in the Colombian city of Barranquilla has become a jail-bird after it was seized during a police drugs raid.
According to environmental authorities, Lorenzo the parrot was trying to tip-off a local drug cartel when officers conducted an undercover raid.
"This parrot was sending out alerts," said Environmental Police Officer Hollman Oliveira. "You could say he was some sort of watch bird."
Authorities claim Lorenzo is one of nearly 1700 parrots seized by officials after being trained by drug traffickers to act as lookouts.
Lorenzo caused quite the stir as he was presented to journalists. The well-trained creature even showed off his look out skills as he yelled out: "Run, run you are going to get caught."
Police colonel Freddy Veloza told reporters: "He spent the whole morning saying that".
Despite Lorenzo's attempts, Veloza's officers still managed to seize more than two-hundred weapons, a stolen motorcycle and a large quantity of marijuana.
At least four men and two other birds were also arrested in the raids.

http://itn.co.uk/bdb1be466cc79c6c102b5cd15c140eda.html



In other parrot news:

An attempt to rob a pet shop was foiled by a parrot who attacked the gang. So vicious was the assault that the owners of the shop discovered shreds of ripped clothing and blood on the beak of Jack, a Sun Conore parrot. Caroline Hobday, the owner of Hobdays pet shop in Coventry, England, said: “There was blood all over the shop and Jack was perched on top of his cage squawking like mad.

“All the evidence looks like he scared the thieves away and spent the rest of the night patrolling and protecting the other animals like a guard dog.” Police say Jack’s actions may mean that they can identify the thieves using DNA.

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100918/WEEKENDER/709179866/1307/FOREIGN