It was a long journey back home for Negan, a parakeet that flew away from his loving family home in Port Edward in early September.
According to Negan’s owner, Charmaine June Maharaj Hassein, on the morning of September 6, her brother Tariq Hassein was leaving for work, and he flew out behind him and took flight.
The little bird’s family were helpless as they saw their much-loved pet take to the sky.
As it was very windy that day, Negan landed at another house, where he was taken in.
The Hasseins grew worried and tried everything to find him. They were concerned that he would be in a strange home, missing the family’s voices, strokes and meals.
They scoured the neighbourhood, posted flyers and reached out on social media, hoping against all hope that someone would find him and return him.
Unbeknown to them at the time, he had been whisked away some 765km to Centurion and handed to Bambi Horak, who cares for lost birds.
“Bambi saw our Facebook post about Negan, and she made contact with me. We made arrangements to bring him back home. Bambi took very good care of Negan; however, the only thing that made me sad was that his wings had been clipped,” said June.
The reunification was delayed as the family could not travel to Centurion due to severe snowfall, which had caused major traffic disruptions between Tugela and Harrismith from September 20.
However, he was fetched from Hillcrest on September 24.
Overall, Negan travelled some 1947km to get back home, where he is unconditionally loved by his family.
“Negan’s story is one of resilience, a reminder that even after the darkest moments, there is always a way to get back to the light. We are so grateful to all who played a vital role in making sure that he’s safe and back home with his family. Negan has been with us for two years, and he is so special to the entire family. We were depressed when he disappeared. I cried every day, hoping my baby would be safe and would return home.
June has written Negan’s adventure story, which will be published in Happy Tails magazine.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like the South Coast Herald’s Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
