Out of the mouths of birds oft comes abuse

Well, maybe not where you come from, dear reader, but this story comes out of India, where anything can (and does) happen. Zee News reports a bizarre case from the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra state, where a parrot was summoned to the Rajura police station to answer charges of "hurling obscenities" at its owner's octogenarian stepmother.

Inspector Patel was acting "with the utmost despatch" on a complaint by an 85-year woman known as Janabai, that her stepson, Suresh Sakharkar, had trained his parrot, named Hariyal, to utter "offensive slurs" every time the old lady walked past her stepson's home.

Do we have video on this, Ed.? [Yes. Ed.]



For those who don't speak Marathi, Zee News provides this translation: "I am being harassed for the last two years. On seeing me, the parrot uses bad language and foul words. That is why I have complained thrice in the last two years. Police called me, Suresh and the parrot to the police station. Police should investigate and seize the parrot.”

And so they did. All three were taken to the local cop shop so officers could confirm the reports. The bird apparently didn't like being behind bars (as pictured), and, like Michigan J. Frog, refused to utter a word, unkind or otherwise.

So, as there is no law under which parrot can be imprisoned, Hariyal was released into the custody of forest department officials. He will be returned to Mr. Sakharkar when he gives his word not to insult Janabai again.