Who knew a cockatoo could live to 100? Fred celebrates his centenary
with a letter from The Queen
- Fred, a sulphur-crested cockatoo, celebrates his 100th birthday at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary outside Hobart
- Members of the public joined in on the celebration at the Sanctuary, dressing up as a cockatoo and having their face painted
- To mark this special milestone, Buckingham Palace sent him a letter
- Cockatoos in the wild usually live till 40-years-old
- Fred is very healthy and has not been to the vet in 10-years
By MARIELLE SIMON FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA
Fred the sulphur-crested cockatoo has celebrated his 100th birthday at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary outside Hobart
A sulphur-crested cockatoo has apparently made it to his 100th year, surpassing most birds of his kind by 60 years.
Keeping to tradition, Fred – the flying-centenarian, was sent a letter from The Queen at Buckingham Palace to mark his special milestone.
The talking-bird was also thrown a huge birthday-bash by his carers at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary outside Hobart on Sunday.
Greg Irons, Director of Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary told Daily Mail Australia that Fred could in fact be even older than 100.
‘We aren’t 100 per cent sure but we think that he is well past,’ he said.
‘He was 95-years-old when I started working, which was 10 years ago – we just waited a bit longer to make sure he is past 100’.
If Fred’s age is in fact correct, the senior bird would have been born around World War 1 in 1915, flying his way through a hundred years of memories.
‘He is in really good nick and even though he isn’t as active as the younger ones he is still remarkable for the way he carries on.
‘He doesn’t do a lot of flying, still dances, sings and talks a lot.
Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary manager, Petra Harris, gave Fred his special birthday cake. Fred apparently has a HUGE crush on her – it made his day…
‘He behaves like a two-year-old,’ Mr Irons said.
Other than a few sprains, Fred has had no health issues and has not visited a vet in 10 years.
‘He is a resilient little character – we all love him here.’
Mr Irons said Fred came to the Sanctuary 20-years ago through a woman’s will.
‘He [Fred] was originally owned for decades by a lady who passed away,’ he said. ‘Fred was then looked after by her family who had to move.
‘The lady actually requested in her will to give Fred to us, so they gave him to us.’
The talking-bird was thrown a huge birthday-bash by his carers at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary outside Hobart on Sunday
Source:::: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
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