How Peeka the parrot went missing and was found in London

Residents of London’s Summerside neighbourhood gathered in numbers last week in a hunt to find Peeka.

'People don’t quite understand the bond that they create with a parrot'

CBC News · Posted: Jun 20, 2018 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 20, 2018

Peeka is an African Grey Timneh parrot. She's one and a half. (Jenny Wilton)

Residents of London's Summerside neighbourhood flocked to their neighbours aide last week to hunt for a parrot named Peeka.

Peeka, an African Grey Timneh parrot, caused quite a stir online and in the community when she went missing for about 50 hours.

The pet's owner Jenny Wilton who describes Peeka as 'her girl' and 'her baby' was at work on Thursday morning when she got a call from her partner Shannon who told her about the parrot's disappearance.

Most times when we talk about our parrots, people look at us like we have five heads ...When they think of the common house pet, they think of a dog or a cat. People don't quite understand the bond that they create with a parrot- Jenny Wilton

Peeka had bolted off of Shannon's shoulder and zoomed out through the family's open garage door, after something startled her.

The family garnered attention from hundreds online after posting about Peeka on Facebook and other platforms such as Kijiji. There was even a $300 reward.

Wilton also crafted 'missing' posters that were printed a hundred times and plastered across the neighbourhood.

"It went pretty far surprisingly. I wasn't expecting that kind of response," said Wilton, who noted a replyall the way from Egypt.

"We were overwhelmed. Absolutely overwhelmed …It was phenomenal," she added.

Peeka's journey home

The one and a half-year-old's disappearance resulted in about a dozen people whistling for Peeka throughout the neighbourhood's streets — peanuts and grapes in hand.

"This is Shannon's baby so she usually responds to his voice when he's calling for her," said Wilton.

Two days later, the couple jolted out the door after receiving a call from a woman who said she found Peeka sitting on the rim of a basketball net at a nearby home.

After Peeka and Shannon exchanged a few glances, the parrot flew back to him. And the rest was history.

"Most times when we talk about our parrots, people look at us like we have five heads. They don't quite understand it. When they think of the common house pet, they think of a dog or a cat. People don't quite understand the bond that they create with a parrot," said Wilton.

And now, the family has a new house rule: keep the garage door shut.