METAIRIE, La. (WGNO) – Meet Burt, an African Gray Parrot. Burt managed to fly the coup, quite literally, while his owner was away. Unfortunately, putting up signs and searching around yielded little results in reuniting the pair. Luckily, a Good Samaritan found Burt but that was just the beginning.
The rescuers took Burt to the Avian & Exotic Animal Hospital of Louisiana to see if he was micro-chipped. The microchip is exactly what it sounds like and is implanted in animals so that if they become lost or stolen, they can be reunited with their owners quickly. Much to the clinic’s chagrin, Burt did not have the microchip. So they had to resort to other methods.
After searching Facebook posts, newspaper classifieds and even putting up fliers, Burt’s owners and the Good Samaritan finally were put in contact with each other at the clinic. But the Good Samaritan wanted to be absolutely sure that they were handing Burt over to his rightful owner and not just someone looking for a free bird. Thankfully Burt recognized his owner and the owner also had pictures that matched up perfectly with the special markings Burt had on his beak. Burt’s story has a happy ending. But Burt could’ve returned home much quicker if he was micro-chipped.
Dr. Gregory Rich, with the Avian & Exotic Animal Hospital of Louisiana, explains that Micro-chipping your pet provides permanent identification, and in cases of lost or stolen animals, allows them to get home quicker.
The process to microchip is fast and easy, it just takes a quick appointment. The chip itself is small enough that it can be directly injected into the muscle. After Burt was sedated, Dr. Rich inserted the microchip in one quick motion. Because the microchip was embedded deep into the muscle, nobody knows it’s there. You can’t see it or feel it, so the only way to know it’s there is to scan the bird.
The whole process only took a little over five minutes and Burt was a little groggy afterwards, but awake and ready to home with his chip. So should Burt ever want to go exploring again, it will be much easier to reunite his with his home.
Micro-chipping isn’t just for the birds. Your cats and dogs and most mammals can be chipped. It’s the fastest, easiest way to reunite your lost pets with their homes and costs around $35.
It’s also something you should do before hurricane season rolls around again. Should you be separated from your pets during an evacuation or a storm, most vets nationwide can track your pet and get in touch with you.
