With the holidays just around the corner, the loss of Adje feels extra heavy for Davine van Rooij (39) from Geldrop. Her domestic cockatiel disappeared exactly one year ago on Thursday and has been missing ever since. Adje was always everywhere: in the living room, sleeping with her dog in the basket and even with her in the shower. “Normally he would be on the Christmas tree now, but now he is not there,” Davine mourns.
What started as routine that evening in 2024 ended in panic. “I came home from dinner and wanted to quickly take out the trash. Adje unexpectedly crawled into the hat of my coat. When I walked outside, a car hit me hard. Adje was so shocked that he flew out of my hat and was carried away by the wind. I couldn’t find him anywhere in the dark,” she says.
“Flyers placed in more than 20,000 mailboxes.”
The months-long search that followed was intensive. Together with family and friends, Davine went into the neighborhood to search everywhere for Adje. Because many people don’t use social media, she also decided on an old-fashioned approach: “I put flyers in more than twenty thousand mailboxes.”
She also kept an eye on Marktplaats and all lost and found animal pages daily, hoping that someone had seen her bird.
“I now have two other cockatiels, but they are not nearly as tame and do not go everywhere. We had a special bond,” she says. The loss of Adje still feels heavy, even for her dog Bowie, who always had him next to her in his basket.
“He may be far away.”
Adje is easy to recognize. He is a colorful cinnamon cockatiel with a gray body, white wings, a gray-yellow tail, yellow crest and orange cheeks. He is also missing a toenail on his left paw. “That’s a really great feature. When you see him and you look at that toe, you know it’s Adje.”
According to Davine, Adje can also fly very well, which means he can cover large distances in a short time. “He may be far away.”
“He becomes unhappy in a cage.”
Davine is very concerned. “I’m especially afraid that he has been found by someone who puts him in a cage. He is used to freedom, and in a cage he becomes unhappy.” She knows that he may no longer be alive, but the thought of someone keeping him captive hurts her the most.
At the same time, she continues to hope that he is safe and will return one day. “There’s nothing that would make me happier,” says Davine. “Cockatiels cannot survive outside, so if you find him, leave him inside and please call animal control.”
Do you have any tips?
If you have seen Adje or have any tips on his whereabouts, please contact us at [email protected]which was created specifically for the search.
