Brian Iles, aged 74, lives in Cheney Manor Road alongside his parrot called Bella. However, the pensioner had his feathers ruffled when the bird flew away through the open door of the patio, while Iles was busy feeding his other pets.
While it will never be known exactly what Bella got up to during her time on the loose, she ended up in the nearby Manor pub.
Speaking to the local press, Brian stated that Bella would frequently flap around his home while he was cleaning out her cage, but explained that once she had slipped outside he feared he would not recover her.
However, a campaign on the local Facebook page For Sale, Free or Wanted located Bella. Although this particular appeal took place online, quirky local campaigns often use poster printing in Swindon and similar areas to attract attention.
It was the animal enthusiast’s son-in-law who came up with the idea, and he told the Swindon Advertiser:
“It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. But I had seen other pets being found via that Facebook page and thought I’d give it a go.”
He went on to thank local people for the support they had shown throughout the appeal.