Several African gray parrots were quarantined together at a wildlife park in England. During their time together they taught each other swear words, according to Lincolnshire Live.
The birds arrived at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in August and were confined together.
When the park’s staff members heard the foul language coming from the parrots, they could not help but laugh. However, their laughter only encouraged the birds to continue; the birds even began laughing at each others obscenities.
It is quite normal for parrots to learn dirty words, especially when they see people enjoying it, which only encourages them to keep going.
The park’s chief executive, Steve Nichols stated, “When you get four or five together that have learnt the swearing and naturally learnt the laughing, so when one swears, one laughs, and before you know it just got to be like an old working men’s club scenario where they are all just swearing and laughing.”
Once the park reopened, the birds were already use to calling people names. Staff and customers found it very amusing, but the birds were moved until they had time to learn what they did was not appropriate and improve their vocabulary.
“We put them in an off-shore enclosure with the intention that hopefully they will start learning the other parrot’s noises that are around,” Nichols adds.
He goes on to state, “What we will do now is release them out but in separate areas, so at least if they do swear it is not as bad as three or four of them blasting it out at once.”