For a 102-year-old grandmother, having to accept that she can no longer share her life with the pet she loves so much , and whom she considers like a son, is truly devastating. Her case is so heartbreaking that it didn’t take long to go viral.
The bond that we can develop with our pets grows stronger over time and is unbreakable. Separating ourselves from them or facing their loss can be a great challenge.
Just like what happened to Minerva Castellano in Córdoba, Colombia, an old woman with more than a century of life, who begs for help to recover her parrot named Vitricio, who had accompanied her for five decades.
The grandmother begs to return her parrot seized by the Police
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The parrot represents for her the best memory of her deceased husband, her family is dedicated to taking care of him and offering him their love. It is a specimen of the yellow moña parrot, which belonged to Miguel del Toro, Minerva’s husband, who died more than 10 years ago.
Since the parrot arrived at Minerva’s house in 1970, it became her best friend, she has seen the birth of dozens of children and almost fifty grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Vitricio always made family days happy, especially singing emblematic vallenato songs. Now the bird is in the hands of the Police.
The agents decided to seize Vitricio leaving Minerva devastated.
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Eliana Guerrero, Minerva’s granddaughter, offered statements to a local media outlet, mentioning that the parrot was having problems with one of its wings , so she took it to the city of Montería to receive medical attention.
“When they took Vitricio away from us, I arrived at the Montería Transport Terminal and was immediately approached by the Environmental Police. They told me that they were going to take my parrot away from me because that was species trafficking; I explained to them that this parrot had been with the family for 50 years, but they ignored me”, she stressed.
Despite the fact that Minerva cannot take care of the parrot due to her age and her granddaughter is the one in charge of taking care of it, she is suffering a lot due to her absence.
At all hours she asks about him and claims that “he has not visited her again.”
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In a video that the family spread on the networks, Minerva is seen calling Vitricio to offer him a banana. Seeing that she does not go to enjoy the food that she likes so much, she reacts moved.
No one and nothing can comfort the poor old lady who only calls her parrot:
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Eliana assures that for her grandmother’s sake they prefer not to tell her that the parrot is in the hands of the Police.
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“The parrot is very fond of me and he doesn’t eat unless we’re together , so I’m afraid he might die. We haven’t wanted to tell my grandmother either, because she can get sick , “said Eliana.
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The family alleges that they are aware of the importance of caring for the planet and preserving species. Eliana, for her part, said that they know that wild animals are not allowed at home , but she explained that Vitricio has never been caged.
“He has always been free, he has always been in the courtyard of the house,” he added.
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Eliana said that the parrot has been part of her family since before the legislation regulated the possession of these animals at home. The only thing they want is for the police to become aware of their grandmother’s situation.
Although some say that no one should have a captive parrot in their home, the parrot remained free moving around the house and for a long time it was used to receiving the love and protection of all family members.
It is worrying to know in what state it will be in the hands of the authorities, the story has shocked thousands of people.