A British zoo was forced to move a group of parrots because they wouldn't stop cursing at visitors. In August, the Lincolnshire Wildlife Park adopted five African grey parrots, named Billy, Eric, Tyson, Jade, and Elsie, and quarantined them together.
The five birds had a penchant for cursing and would laugh and encourage each other to keep cursing. Officials hoped they would tone down their language when they were moved outside to join a colony of about 200 parrots.
"We are quite used to parrots swearing, but we've never had five at the same time," said the zoo's chief executive, Steve Nichols. "Most parrots clam up outside, but for some reason, these five relish it."
Many of the guests found the cursing amusing, and nobody complained.
"When a parrot tells you to 'f*** off,' it amuses people very highly," Nichols said. "It's brought a big smile to a really hard year."
Even though most people thought it was funny, the zoo didn't want to expose young children to the foul language. They hope that moving the birds away from the public will get them to stop cursing.
"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," Nichols wondered.
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