A PET PARAKEET IS PLAYFULLY
Fighting crime is serious business, but in September 2019, Dutch police in Utrecht had a good time when they arrested a bird. The pet parakeet was an accomplice in “featheral crime” since it was at the scene of a crime when police detained a suspect for shoplifting.
“This bird sat on the shoulder of a thief we arrested for shoplifting,” reported the police on Instagram. “As we don't have a birdcage, this bird had no other place to stay than in the cell. His owner agreed to this. When the owner was released shortly after, the bird accompanied him.” They jokingly added, “The bird has not been questioned and is as far as we know not guilty of any charges.”
While the jailbird was being held on the day of the arrest, the police fed it water and bread. RTV Utrecht, a Dutch news outlet, even altered the image to conceal the bird's identification by adding a black bar over its eyes. Because of this small detail, the tale went viral, and people are still amused by it today.
Reddit users were compelled to share their opinions about the topic. "That's top comedy from both the police and the media," one person said. Consider yourself the journalist who had to put a straight face above a censorship bar. Pure gold. I hope the little guy served his sentence and changed his ways.
Others joined in with puns, with one joking that “the police suspected fowl play,” while another pointed out that the bird might be “the first prisoner to have two wings of their own.”
