Parrot dies after grooming session in S'pore, owner lodges police report

A woman in Singapore was left shocked and saddened after her five-week-old African Grey Parrot, which had just undergone a grooming session, began to wail and urinate blood at home in Toa Payoh on Sep. 17 evening.

When the woman, surnamed Huang (transliteration), and her husband rushed the parrot, named Gru (transliteration), to the veterinary, Gru's body had already become stiff, reported Shin Min Daily News.

However, when Huang contacted Gru's groomers, they allegedly refused to take responsibility for Gru's death, claiming that "there must be something wrong with the food Huang had fed Gru".

It was only until Huang mentioned the vet's autopsy report, which stated that Gru passed away mainly because of the groomers' mishandling, that they admitted there was an oversight and offered to compensate the bird owners.

Kept parrots to keep child company

Speaking to Shin Min, Huang said she kept Gru and another green parrot at home because she liked this breed of birds and wanted to find a companion for her child, who has autism.

When it was time for her parrots to have their beaks and nails trimmed, Huang decided to engage two groomers at the recommendation of an acquaintance who sold her the green parrot.

Huang asked the groomers to come to her home at around 6pm on Sep. 17 and agreed to pay S$60 for their service.

Both parrots appeared stressed during grooming session

During the grooming session, Huang kept hearing Gru "scream in pain", Shin Min reported Huang as saying.

However, when she asked the groomers numerous times whether it was normal, they "always replied 'Yes'", so Huang trusted them.

Besides Gru, the groomers had also allegedly stressed out Huang's green parrot, which she kept in a cage at her enclosed balcony on her 26th-floor unit.

According to Huang, she had just entered her room for a short while when the groomers knocked on her door, informing her that the green parrot had fallen off her balcony.

"Our green parrot tried to escape by squeezing itself between the narrow guardrails. It didn't even know how to fly, so it must have glided down from the 26th floor".

To locate her lost parrot, Huang put up notices and sought help from the groomers, as well as the internet.

She was only able to reunite with her green parrot three days later on Sep. 20, when a neighbour found it on a tree on the ground floor and alerted her.

Gru passed away

Huang told Shin Min that the groomers "left quickly" after the grooming session ended.

Two hours later, Gru "tried to fly to the top of her head with tears in the corner of its eyes".

"However, Gru soon lost its strength and fell to the floor. His wings drooped, and he began to urinate blood incessantly," recounted Huang.

Horrified by the scene, Huang and her husband immediately rushed to the vet by taxi.

At the vet, the couple received the heartbreaking news that Gru had already passed away.

They have since cremated Gru's body and kept its ashes in a urn.

Groomers 'denied responsibility at first'

When Huang demanded an answer from Gru's groomers, they "repeatedly denied any responsibility" while claiming that Gru's death "must be caused by the food Huang fed", reported Shin Min.

However, at the time, Huang had already learnt from the vet that the main reason for Gru's death was that the groomers "did not hold Gru properly, causing it to feel frightened and stressed".

"As a result, Gru's muscle tissue was damaged, and it began to urinate blood," said Huang.

Huang shared that the groomers only changed their attitude and offered to compensate her after she mentioned the vet's autopsy report.

"I believe I am entitled to the compensation because Gru should not die for nothing. Many online users told me that the local pet parrot market was very chaotic, with many untrained individuals offering grooming services. If an accident occurs, they would just change their name and resume their business," she added.

Groomers 'not professionally trained'

Huang shared that while her acquaintance told her previously that the groomers' company had been in the business "for years", the acquaintance later revealed the groomers had never registered their company, reported Shin Min.

The acquaintance also told her that the groomers had only been in business for a year, and they only had experience raising parrots, said Huang.

Even though Huang has lodged a police report, she hoped that her experience can remind other pet owners to only engage groomers who are certified in pet grooming.

Groomers 'deeply apologise' to Huang

When Shin Min approached the groomers, they did not respond to the question of whether their company was registered.

They only stated that they "deeply apologise" for the incident and are willing to compensate Huang.

However, the company declined to comment further, saying that Huang had yet to reply to them.

Top images via Shin Min Daily News