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TOTA Pet Remembrance Thread (pg. 4)
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| FunkyCrew |
| quote: | Originally posted by Zentac_75
Just remind yourself, she's playing with family on that big hamster wheel in the sky :) |
awwww hamster heaven! |
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| rabbitjoker |
Bird Brain Dies After Years of Research
WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) — Alex, a parrot who could count to six, identify colors and even express frustration with repetitive scientific trials, has died after 30 years of helping researchers better understand the avian brain.
The cause of Alex's death was unknown. The African Grey parrot's average life span is 50 years, Brandeis University scientist Irene Pepperberg said. She said Alex was discovered dead in his cage Friday but she waited to release the news until this week so grieving researchers could get over the shock and talk about it.
"It's devastating to lose an individual you've worked with pretty much every day for 30 years," Pepperberg told The Boston Globe. "Someone was working with him eight to 12 hours every day of his life."
Alex's advanced language and recognition skills revolutionized the understanding of the avian brain. After Pepperberg bought Alex from an animal shop in 1973, the parrot learned enough English to identify 50 different objects, seven colors, and five shapes. He could count up to six, including zero, was able to express desires, including his frustration with the repetitive research.
He also occasionally instructed two other parrots at the lab to "talk better" if they mumbled, though it wasn't clear if he was simply mimicking researchers.
Pepperberg said Alex hadn't reached his full cognitive potential and was demonstrating the ability to take distinct sounds from words he knew and combine them to form new words. Just last month, he pronounced the word "seven" for the first time.
Pepperberg said the last time she saw Alex was Thursday. They went through their goodnight routine, in which she told him it was time to go in the cage and said: "You be good, I love you. I'll see you tomorrow."
Alex responded, "You'll be in tomorrow." |
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| ÖZmözis |
I miss my kittie Zoey :(
She got hit by a car last summer. I picked her up in my arms and burried her in the backyard. I miss her a lot and so does Riddles...
But I'm still happy that my other cat is okay. Even though they never liked eachother much, they had their good times...
This picture is about 3 years old... It was taken when he was around 1 years old... He is much much bigger now...
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| me@t k@tie |
| quote: | Originally posted by ÖZmözis
This picture is about 3 years old... It was taken when he was around 1 years old... He is much much bigger now...
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Did he die? |
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| ÖZmözis |
| quote: | Originally posted by me@t k@tie
Did he die? |
No, but half the stuff I posted is missing mmmmm... |
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| English Rachel |
| quote: | Originally posted by rabbitjoker
Bird Brain Dies After Years of Research
WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) — Alex, a parrot who could count to six, identify colors and even express frustration with repetitive scientific trials, has died after 30 years of helping researchers better understand the avian brain.
The cause of Alex's death was unknown. The African Grey parrot's average life span is 50 years, Brandeis University scientist Irene Pepperberg said. She said Alex was discovered dead in his cage Friday but she waited to release the news until this week so grieving researchers could get over the shock and talk about it.
"It's devastating to lose an individual you've worked with pretty much every day for 30 years," Pepperberg told The Boston Globe. "Someone was working with him eight to 12 hours every day of his life."
Alex's advanced language and recognition skills revolutionized the understanding of the avian brain. After Pepperberg bought Alex from an animal shop in 1973, the parrot learned enough English to identify 50 different objects, seven colors, and five shapes. He could count up to six, including zero, was able to express desires, including his frustration with the repetitive research.
He also occasionally instructed two other parrots at the lab to "talk better" if they mumbled, though it wasn't clear if he was simply mimicking researchers.
Pepperberg said Alex hadn't reached his full cognitive potential and was demonstrating the ability to take distinct sounds from words he knew and combine them to form new words. Just last month, he pronounced the word "seven" for the first time.
Pepperberg said the last time she saw Alex was Thursday. They went through their goodnight routine, in which she told him it was time to go in the cage and said: "You be good, I love you. I'll see you tomorrow."
Alex responded, "You'll be in tomorrow." |
Awww I cried a couple of tears.
My sister has an African Grey, he sings the 1812 Overture, counts out 4 with spoon, sounds like the phone and answers it, says "what you doin'?" (ask Adam for a demo) and much more! |
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| Zentac_75 |
:(
I always thought that animals are much more intelligent than we believe, but most people have just not learned to communicate effectively with them.
I was VERY intrigued that the article mentioned Alex expressed frustration with the extensive research he was subject too, but did not mention how the scientists reacted to 'his feelings'. |
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| English Rachel |
| quote: | Originally posted by Zentac_75
:(
I always thought that animals are much more intelligent than we believe, but most people have just not learned to communicate effectively with them.
I was VERY intrigued that the article mentioned Alex expressed frustration with the extensive research he was subject too, but did not mention how the scientists reacted to 'his feelings'. |
Well she told him she loved him and they didn't release the information until they had come to terms with the shock so I would hazard a guess that his frustration either caused amusement or hurt, just like with another human.... |
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| Kamka |
| quote: | Originally posted by Zentac_75
:(
I always thought that animals are much more intelligent than we believe, but most people have just not learned to communicate effectively with them.
I was VERY intrigued that the article mentioned Alex expressed frustration with the extensive research he was subject too, but did not mention how the scientists reacted to 'his feelings'. |
Me too! |
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| English Rachel |
And number 4 this year.
I rescued Reggie September 06 from living in a closet. He came into my crazy house to live out the last year of his life and he took his last breath, on my knee, at 11.11pm on Saturday.
Goodnight little Reg, sweet dreams xxx |
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| StereoPrincess |
Goodbye to my great friend: Ringo.
He was put to sleep today because he was very sick.
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