Pets

My family lived in Kitwe, which was then called Northern Rhodesia and now known as Zambia and we owned an African Grey. Jacko reached the age of 46 before dying just a little while ago. We all thought Jacko was a boy until SHE laid an egg at the age of around 8 or 9. My sister, Erika thought she was constipated because she was complaining so much, so gave her an enema with an eye dropper. Next thing , out popped an egg. Jacko ruled our lives and was free to roam around the house chasing the cats who were terrified of her, and loving to chew on the dogs tails. They in turn loved her right back. Often the dogs would put their heads inside her cage to reach her water or to see what little bits of interesting food they could steal. When she felt like sharing, she did and other times she let them know who was boss. She talked fabulously and swore in German (my Mother), Swedish (my Father), grumbled like my Grandfather and of course spoke fluent English.

Coming from a large family, she could imitate the voices of Mom, Dad, six children, three cats, two dogs and naturally all kitchen and household appliances including food mixer, vacuum cleaner, telephone, radio and television, the cars that drove past, engines running, hooting. She cried like a baby, screamed hysterically at every child that walked past, just like Mom used to do. Demanded attention, just like Dad. Jacko laughed, barked, meowed, sniggered and continuously asked for coffee amongst other basic wants.

One Christmas as our parents visitors finished their drinks, my two brothers Alf and Charles and I (we were very young, please forgive us), fed the dregs of the glasses to Jacko, who eventually got very intoxicated and hung upside down on her perch before dropping to the cage floor on her head. The next day she sat on the floor, resting her little head pathetically on the side and cried. She never ever forgave us three. I tried coming near her, she lunged at me and embedded her beak through both my lips. Alf tried kissing her and she bit him so hard, the scar still shows to this day. About ten years after the event Charles was washing the dishes and he didn't realize that Jacko was inside the cupboard beneath the sink. She sneaked out and attacked his big toe. There never was a funnier site than Charles trying to extract Jacko's beak from his nail bed as she held on like a demented moray eel. Yes she never forgot or forgave us, yet we still all loved this amazing creature. I live on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia now having left Africa behind and would dearly love to own an African Grey and promise to love and obey him/her forever in sickness and in health for as long as we both shall live.. Every owner of these dear little birds would understand me now...Darling Jacko who must be sitting on an angel's shoulder now..thank you for enriching the lives of so many..We bow down to your superior character..:-)))

So basically Jacko belonged to my parents, once all the kids moved away from home. I was fortunate enough to own one of my own African Grey's and his name was Davey Boy. Why Davey??...well I had a very good friend called David, yet another angel from heaven, who was murdered by terrorists in Lusaka, Zambia and his story appears on my "friends" link at the top of this page. Davey's favorite sound was the telephone, which he could imitate without fault. He was also a prolific talker and when I moved away from Africa, I gave him to my brother Errol to look after, where they both lived in peace and harmony until Jacko's death. Errol and his family loved those birds and the two, Jacko and Davey, would haul themselves up his legs and play gleefully with his beard whenever he was home. Davey is still alive today and lives in Empangeni, Zululand. Regretfully the importation of any kind of parrot is now banned in Australia.

Gertie Girl

This is a Galah that my brother Alf Pettersson found. He was on a run through a forest area early one morning, when he came across a tiny baby bird and picking her up, tried to find the nest that she had fallen from. After searching in vain, he finally took her home and brought her up. On a brief visit to Alf's home in Newcastle, he said I could take her back to the Gold coast for a visit and that he would collect her in a few months and take her back home. That was over a year ago and Gertie, who thinks she is human, is still here with us and is now a totally spoilt and beautiful member of my family. Thanks Alf, Gertie has enriched our lives and we love her.

Update : Gertie was having problems with her feet which developed Bumble Foot (apparently common amongst birds). I took her to the vet so many times, I can no longer remember. She would have to stay there for her treatment and would come home for weekends. I tried this for a year, but her feet would no sooner heal and then deteriorate again. I decided to retire her to the vet who loved her so much. She now stays with these very kind people and is looked after on a daily basis. I just could not give her the care that she so richly deserved. She is very happy in her own little retirement village in the country surrounded by the other residents.

One of the most wonderful pets we were fortunate to have as children, was a chimpanzee which we named Jesse. We got her from the Congo as a little baby and she was loved and brought up as one of the family. Jesse had a baby high chair and used to eat at the table with the rest of us. Like any human baby, she often threw down the spoon on the floor and my father used to tell her to "pick up the spoon, Jesse". No problem for her being a monkey, jumping out the chair and got the spoon only to climb up again. She wore a diaper while inside and used to wear my cast-off ballet outfits. Jesse hated dogs though and while she was chained up outside the house, all dogs gave here a very wide berth. It came to pass that Dad needed money and sold Jesse to the circus in town. This was a turning point in our lives and we cried to see such a wonderful member of the family go and live with someone else. Whenever the circus was in town they came to visit with Jesse and she was spoiled like any child would be. If Dad ever wanted a beer out the fridge, he used to ask Jesse to get him one. Being in familiar surroundings, she would leap from her chair and charging into the kitchen would get a beer out the fridge and a bottle opener out the drawer. She would open the bottle, take a huge sip and then give the rest to Dad. Jesse always knew the kitchen held other delights too, like cake and biscuits.

Jesse's new owner, who loved her very much, took her to the United States where she made a few Tarzan movies and we lost touch with them for many years. It must have been about 27 years later, I was then living in Johannesburg, in South Africa when I read an article in the daily paper about a very sick chimpanzee called Jesse, who had been given to the local Zoo because its old owner could no longer look after her. I phoned my Dad who was then living in another state of South Africa called East London. He flew over to Johannesburg. and we went to the Zoo the next day. The zoo keepers, after hearing that Dad could possibly be Jesse's original owner, allowed him into the sick bay where she was being kept. Jesse knew Dad right away and climbed into his lap where she remained safe and warm in his arms, stroking his face and gently pulling at his arm hairs and scratching his freckles. Dad had tears in his eyes as he hugged and kissed her beautiful head and face, over and over.

Jesse was a very sick girl and died soon after the visit, but they had made this wonderful loving connection once again.

Poor Mya's has a sore eye. Unfortunately she was born with a condition called dry eye, which means that it doesn't produce tears. For the rest of her life she will need to have natural tear drops and cream placed in her eye two to three times a day.

Mya Little Cutie and spoiled to the max..	Mya the Chihuahua	Mya with Shania, our other gorgeous Chihuahua - around 6 months younger than her but from the same mother