Toronto

Ontario police break up 'domestic dispute' between man and pet parrot

Police in Brighton say they received complaints about loud yelling and threats coming from a home and found a man alone in the home shouting at the bird

The parrot was not harmed in any way, but caused 'levity on the job,' police say

Police responded to what was believed to be a domestic dispute in Brighton, Ont., and found a man alone shouting at a parrot (not the one pictured above). (Jeanne Armstrong/CBC)

An Ontario man ran afoul of provincial police this week after spending a night at home with his pet parrot.

Police in Brighton, between Toronto and Kingston, said they were originally called to a home at 8 p.m. on Tuesday after neighbours heard what they believed to be a domestic dispute.

Northumberland OPP Const. Steve Bates said the neighbours knew the home was usually occupied by a couple, but police found only one person when they arrived.

"They heard him yelling and saying, 'I hope you die,' and so on and so forth," Bates said. "So we attended and we located the male of the household alone in the house screaming at his pet parrot who apparently was 'beaking off' at him, in his words."

The man had been drinking, Bates said, adding that the parrot did not appear to be hurt in any way.

Police did not lay any charges.

Bates described the call as a "very interesting" one for attending officers, adding such incidents sometimes create a welcome diversion.

"These are the kinds of stories that police run into all the time," he said. "It just adds some levity to the job."