by Bunko Dolus, The Chicago Times
May 17, 2021
CHICAGO – Chicago Fire rescue crew walked a suicidal parrot of an office building ledge this weekend. On Sunday, a fire rescue team was returning from an emergency medical call when the owner of the bird signaled them to retrieve a macaw from a second-floor ledge of the Railway Exchange Building.
According to city officials, the bird was reportedly with its owner who took it to a protest rally on Sunday. Thousands of protesters gathered outside the building on Michigan Avenue, waving Palestinian flags and demanding an end to the Middle East’s violence and “ethnic cleansing.”
Out of an abundance of caution, Chicago Fire Department officials called in a net crew and city psychologist. The parrot’s owner requested a ladder, but a CFD crew member used a pole to grab the brightly colored bird, according to fire department spokesman Larry Merritt.
When the bird stepped atop the pole and was slowly lowered from a second-floor window to street level, onlookers started cheering. “Hurray!” the crowd roared.
According to Merritt, the bird was rescued and returned to its owner. No charges have been filed.
The Chicago Times 