Frodo the Cockatoo, a familiar sight on Durban’s streets
"He's like a child that never grows up, although he will live to around 60 or 70 years old."
BEREA’S Chris Davel and his Cockatoo, Frodo, are a common sight on Durban streets.
Frodo, a 15-year-old Lesser Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo, has been a part of Chris’s life since Chris bought him from a breeder at four months old.
“I’ve always wanted a parrot but my work as a land surveyor for the National Department of Water Affairs kept me away from home. When I was transferred to Durban as manager of commercial forestry licencing, I had the time to be at home. I bought Frodo in 2004,” he said.
Chris said Frodo was a great pet to have, but that he needed a lot of attention as Cockatoos get bored and frustrated easily.
“He’s like a child that never grows up, and will live to around 60 or 70 years old. I will try and live as long as I possibly can as my son in South Africa doesn’t want to inherit him!” he said.
Chris said he used to be a runner but was forced to stop in the 1990s due to a knee problems. About 15 years ago his knee problems disappeared, but instead of taking up running again he took up mountain biking.
“I started taking Frodo with me on my rides and he loves it. He sits on my shoulder and screams at everyone! We ride to the beachfront, and as I pass busy roads on the way, I have taught him to lie on his back so I can strap him to my arm to keep him safe. When we get to the beach I take it off him. If I swim in the sea he sits on my shoulder,” he said, adding that Frodo also enjoys going to restaurants and the shops with him. He said a lot of people stop and talk to him when they see the duo together.
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“Frodo loves chips and bacon and enjoys going to restaurants. He also runs around the pool at home if we swim and I take him out of his cage to be with me when I work in the garden. You need to be dedicated to have a bird like this, he is a companion, a child that I will have for life,” he said.
Chris explained that Cockatoos originated from Australia or Indonesia and there were 17 different species.
“The gender is usually only evident at the age of four, but I always knew he was a male, he was too boisterous and destructive to be a female. You can’t leave him alone for too long as he eats things in the house!” he said.
Chris said Cockatoos don’t learn a lot of words or sentences like African Grey Parrots, but rather have a small vocabulary and imitate sounds.
“He cries like a baby and barks like a dog. He pretends to answer the phone when it rings and if you pick up keys or visitors get up to leave, he says goodbye,” he said.
Frodo definitely rules the roost at home, and Chris’s four-year-old cat has learnt who is boss.
“The cat tried to sneak up on Frodo once, but he sorted her out. She knows he’s the boss. We had dogs before we bought Frodo, and he got on well with them. He doesn’t know he’s a bird, he thinks he’s human. I took him to Mitchell Park once and showed him the Cockatoos, but he wasn’t at all interested,” said Chris.
Keep your eyes open for Chris and Frodo at the beachfront or around Berea and go up and say ‘hi’ to them.
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