[nagdu] . Guide - service parrot.

[Ed Meskys]

I had never taken seriously the use of parrots, but this is interesting. I 
am surprised at what they have been trained to do. In the science fiction 
world I had seen some serious discussion of the high intelligence of gray 
parrots.

Soon after I lost my sight, some 35 years ago, a friend had sent me a 
newspaper clipping about a Hollywood animal trainer trying to teach a parrot 
to guide a blind person. It was held in a special cage by the walker and 
would communicate by ringing a bell or otherwise communicating with the 
bearer. The whole concept had struck me as stupid. A guide dog has to walk 
andavoid barriers, steps, etc, and is less likely to lose focus and forget 
to warn the user. The parrot is just sitting there and has no incentive to 
notify the bearer of steps, obstacles, etc. And that is assuming that the 
parrot could be trained to respond to al possible obstacles, which I 
doubted.

Ed Meskys