Oro is the star of Raamsdonkveer. The bird with bright yellow and blue feathers has been flying through the village for more than five years, to the great pleasure of the neighborhood. But since Thursday it has been quiet in the air: due to complaints about aggressive behavior, the tropical bird is not allowed to go outside for the time being. Owner Chris Mallens is stunned. “Oro would never attack people.”
Parrot Oro has been living in Mallens Huize for 6.5 years. “He grew up with us,” says Mallens. “Since he is about eight months old, he has been flying through the neighborhood.” Through good training, the bird learned to come back to his boss on command. “Because he goes out daily, he has mastered the art of flying very well.”
Everyone in the neighborhood knows Oro. “Children always call him enthusiastically. He is also often watching a football match at the sports fields. They call him a loyal supporter there.”
Yet not everyone appears to be happy with the bird. Mallens received a visit from the police on Thursday. They received complaints about ORO’s aggressive behavior. He would have attacked children and women. “I just don’t believe that,” says Mallens.
“Ara’s are prey in the wild. They are ‘frightened shit’. With his wingspan of 75 centimeters, he can look impressive. If he comes flying at you, you think for a moment: wow. Then he wants to sit down on your shoulder. But attacking isn’t.”
“I try to take everyone into account.”
Although it is not forbidden to let parrots fly free in the Netherlands, the police or municipality can intervene in the event of a nuisance. “Let’s put it first: I don’t want Oro to cause nuisance,” says Mallens. “I try to take everyone into account. That’s why I started a Facebook page: then people can reach me easily and quickly in case of nuisance. I am always between five and ten minutes.”
The neighborhood does not understand the symptoms about the animal. “Every time I saw Oro flying, it made me happy,” writes a local resident on Facebook. “It brought something magical and cheerful in the neighborhood. Such a shame that it should end now. He didn’t hurt anyone, he just belonged.”
“I often met him but he has never given any token of aggression,” someone else writes. “I hope he can go loose again soon. He is a bit of all of us in the streets.”
“You don’t want to put him in a cage all this time?”
The police gave Mallens an official warning. “The agent said that ORO could even be confiscated. That is a nightmare for us. He also suggested that the wings briefly blind but that is not an option, then Oro will be really depressed.”
Whether the beast is allowed to fly free again is now the municipality of Geertruidenberg. “I don’t dare to leave Oro outside,” says Mallens. “I notice that he is missing it. He is nodding up and down in front of the window, flies through the house all day and shouts things together. An ARA is 60 to 80 years old. You don’t want to put him in a cage all the time?”
He hopes that the municipality is willing to think along. “Almost everyone enjoys Oro. He has to go up again. Rather today than tomorrow.”
The police confirm that someone from the animal police visited Chris. She also announces that there was certainly one report of nuisance caused by the bird. In addition to the animal police, the National Inspection Service Animal Welfare (member) and the municipality of Geertruidenberg is also involved.
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