A parrot with a Welsh accent has gone missing leaving his owners "devastated". Ralph is known around Rhondda Cynon Taf for greeting people with a call of "alright butt" and his love of custard creams — but last weekend he flew away from his family home.
The eight-inch-tall bright green bird, who may have been the first parrot to scale Pen-y-Fan, was enjoying the sunshine at 6.30pm on May 21 during a barbecue in the Bundy family's back garden in Llanharan, when he was scared off by crows. The family are offering a £100 reward for his safe return.
Shaun Bundy, who has had Ralph since the bird hatched seven years ago, said: "He was in the garden, which he always is in nice weather. Two crows came down and chased him out of the garden. Normally if he flies off he will only go a couple of metres, then you go and get him. This time he flew down the side of the house, into the front garden of another house and onto a tree. Then he stopped as he always does. I was walking over to get him, but another crow came down from the satellite dish on that house and chased him again."
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Ralph flew into the woodland near Bryncae community centre. "Gutted" Shaun, 31, and his sons Harley, nine, Jake, seven, and Freddy, three, have since walked for miles around the woods and nearby housing estate without seeing their pet. "It's devastating," said Shaun. "He's part of the family. It's like losing one of the little ones. They absolutely love him and keep asking when he's coming back.
"Ralph was petrified by the crows, they're so loud. The problem, from what I can gather, is it's hatching season for a lot of wild birds so this is a bad time to go missing because birds are so protective over their littles ones. I'm not sure if that's why they chased him."
Shaun had wanted a parrot ever since he was a child enjoying pirate stories. The commercial director and his family quickly bonded with Ralph, who likes spending time at the Prince pub in Treorchy and perching himself on Shaun's shoulder on long walks — even climbing Pen-y-Fan mountain in 2016. Ralph has a strong Valleys accent, often saying "alright butt" and singing Monty Python's Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. When the bird — who "loves a biscuit" — sees Shaun with a plate of food, he says: "Ooh what you got there?"
Shaun added: "He's such a happy bird and loves being around people. We've put his cage outside with all his treats, so we're really hoping he comes back when he's not scared."
Do you have information about Ralph's whereabouts? You can contact the Bundy family by calling 07950574671 or 07581225096.
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