Blind man appeals for help to locate missing parrots

A man who is almost blind has appealed for help in locating his two pet parrots, one of which has been missing for nearly a year.

Peter Crame, 41, has lost both his ring-necked parakeets, Pippi and Kiwi, and is hoping that Newbury and Thatcham residents can help him locate his beloved birds.

Mr Crame’s sister recently saw one of the birds near the retail park, close to where he used to live on Newtown Road, and there has been another recent parrot sighting at the Henwick Worthy Sports Ground in Thatcham.

Mr Crame is convinced the birds are still nearby, and if he had the ability to see, he’d be out every day searching for them with a pair of binoculars.

He said: “If the two birds met out there and they were free and happy, I would be happy in that respect.

“If someone saw them together, in my head that would give me some closure.”

While living in Gibb Terrace on Newtown Road, Mr Crame got the female Kiwi at the beginning of last year. In September 2021, he got the male Pippi so that Kiwi would have a companion.

Initially the two birds didn’t get along, but soon they began to bond and eventually they were able to share a cage.

Then in December, Mr Crame opened the patio door without thinking and Kiwi flew out into the garden and into the outside world.

The next day, it began to snow.

Mr Crame said: “I was in absolute bits. I felt my responsibility because I let her go out there and I assumed she was dead. I thought the worst.”

Eight months later in July 2022, Mr Crame was sitting on his patio with Pippi next to him on a makeshift perch he made from a hat stand.

Suddenly, he heard Kiwi’s calls and she came and joined Pippi on the perch.

He said: “I was in tears. I could not believe she had come back.”

However, when Kiwi returned, Mr Crame had 10 days before he moved to his new home in Donnington Heights where he currently resides.

He was unable to coax Kiwi back into his property during that time period, so he had to move without having the bird back in his possession.

Pippi’s mood took a downturn following the move, and the bird was a lot quieter than usual.

A month ago, Mr Crame put Pippi on the perch outside in his garden and then the bird flew for the first time. The parrot’s owner believes Pippi has gone to search for Kiwi.

The ring-necked parakeet is the UK’s only naturalised parrot, and has become famous for being spotted in large numbers in parks across London in recent years.

The birds are bright green and very loud.

Mr Crame said: “If anyone heard them, you can’t miss them. They’re bloody noisy.”

He is blind in one eye and only partially sighted in the other, meaning Mr Crame can only locate them via their calls, and is unable to see them flying in the sky.

If you have seen either Kiwi or Pippi, please contact the Newbury Weekly News.