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Cheeky Charlie's back home
Thieves stole a popular cockatoo from a St Helens petting zoo – only to dump him outside a former vets surgery four days later.
Thirty-year-old Chalkie the cockatoo was discovered in a cardboard box on the steps of Rutland House's old Cowley Hill Lane practice last Thursday after he was stolen from Pets Corner in Sherdley Park by raiders.
When he was snatched on Saturday night, park staff feared he'd been taken by professional thieves intent to selling the bird on the lucrative black market.
But instead he turned up unharmed four days later by Rutland House lab technicians, who now use the Cowley Hilll Lane building, and was none the worse for his ordeal.
Sherdley Park's head ranger Arthur Bradshaw said: "After we reported the theft to the police and sent out a plea for help in finding him, Chalkie was found dumped in a cardboard box.
The staff at Rutland House took him in, looked after him and then brought him back home. He had lost a bit of weight but was in quite good condition.
"He's fine now he is back where he belongs and is microchipped anyway – so he could have been traced if he hadn't been handed in."
Chalkie, a large white cockatoo with pale yellow markings, both on his crest and beneath his wings, has become a firm favourite with park visitors since he was donated to Pets Corner earlier this year.
He is especially popular with children and is renowned for his endless chatter and raucous calls.
He often repeats phrases such as "Hello Chalkie", "Bye Bye" and "I'm pretty"!
Fay Walsh, a trainee nurse at Rutland House's new home on Abbotsfield Road in Sutton, helped treat Chalkie when he was brought in last week.
She said: "We recently moved practices and Chalkie was found at our old practice on Cowley Hill Lane. He was still in shock when we took him in but, physically, was still quite healthy.
"Our vets had a look at him and found he had no broken bones or injuries and he was back to normal within 24 hours.
"You could tell by his personality that he has a lot of contact with people."
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Weather for St Helens
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 12 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: West
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Temperature: 12 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
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