"My pet cockatoo has been held at Heathrow for three months due to paperwork"
- 5 months ago
A cockatoo has spent months 'doing bird' at Heathrow after being detained over a paperwork issue, his owner says.
"Cheeky chap" Charlie, four, was supposed to be reunited with Jess Adlard, 33, in August.
She moved from Pennsylvania in the US to the UK in November 2022 but had to leave her pet behind.
Charlie was supposed to arrive nine months later - but was held at Heathrow over a missing form on landing.
It's now been three months and the pet is still in confinement - leaving Jess, who spent £6,000 on his transit, worried.
She said he has been banging his head against the cage and plucking his feathers - common signs of distress.
Jess, a former pharmacy technician, said: "I suffer from anxiety and depression and Charlie really alleviates that.
"My daily routine revolved around him it has really thrown me off. We haven't been able to see him but they sent us videos and pictures.
"He has been banging his head against the cage wall and crying for me.
"He has been plucking his feathers and asking if he is a good boy."
Jess's husband Joe, 36, a customs clearance agent, flew out to the US to bring Charlie to the UK.
But once they landed the cockatoo was held over a missing document, they say.
Jess, from Loughborough, Leics., said: "They said the original export permit was missing - but it was with Charlie when he left the airport in the States.
"It has cost us £6,000 to get him here.
"We have sent picture copies over to them but they say they need to see the original but it was with Charlie.
"We haven't heard anything from them since September."
Jess bought Charlie, a rose-breasted cockatoo in December 2019 and said he is "a cheeky chap".
She has been unable to see or speak to Charlie since he arrived in the UK and is pleading with officials to release him.
Jess says staff at the private animal facility have been playing the movie Rio - about a talking bird - on a tablet to calm him.
But she just wants him home.
Jess said: "He is so cheeky and intelligent, he is funny and likes to dance.
"If he ever does anything naughty and gets caught he will immediately say 'I love you'.
"It is difficult to put into words how I feel when I think about Charlie coming home.
"It is like Christmas and your birthday. I am tearing up thinking about it.
"We want Charlie home. We have a beautiful home for him.
"If there is a problem we need to rectify then why hasn't anyone been in contact with us."
The Home Office said: "Wildlife entering the UK through the border is governed by strict domestic and international law.
"Where required documentation isn’t presented, Border Force can seize pets.
"We take the welfare of animals in our care seriously and those in our protection are looked after in suitable facilities by trained staff, with specialist veterinary care available if required."
Jess and Joe have set up a GoFundMe to help cover their costs: https://www.gofundme.com/f/cnv2h-bring-charlie-home.
"Cheeky chap" Charlie, four, was supposed to be reunited with Jess Adlard, 33, in August.
She moved from Pennsylvania in the US to the UK in November 2022 but had to leave her pet behind.
Charlie was supposed to arrive nine months later - but was held at Heathrow over a missing form on landing.
It's now been three months and the pet is still in confinement - leaving Jess, who spent £6,000 on his transit, worried.
She said he has been banging his head against the cage and plucking his feathers - common signs of distress.
Jess, a former pharmacy technician, said: "I suffer from anxiety and depression and Charlie really alleviates that.
"My daily routine revolved around him it has really thrown me off. We haven't been able to see him but they sent us videos and pictures.
"He has been banging his head against the cage wall and crying for me.
"He has been plucking his feathers and asking if he is a good boy."
Jess's husband Joe, 36, a customs clearance agent, flew out to the US to bring Charlie to the UK.
But once they landed the cockatoo was held over a missing document, they say.
Jess, from Loughborough, Leics., said: "They said the original export permit was missing - but it was with Charlie when he left the airport in the States.
"It has cost us £6,000 to get him here.
"We have sent picture copies over to them but they say they need to see the original but it was with Charlie.
"We haven't heard anything from them since September."
Jess bought Charlie, a rose-breasted cockatoo in December 2019 and said he is "a cheeky chap".
She has been unable to see or speak to Charlie since he arrived in the UK and is pleading with officials to release him.
Jess says staff at the private animal facility have been playing the movie Rio - about a talking bird - on a tablet to calm him.
But she just wants him home.
Jess said: "He is so cheeky and intelligent, he is funny and likes to dance.
"If he ever does anything naughty and gets caught he will immediately say 'I love you'.
"It is difficult to put into words how I feel when I think about Charlie coming home.
"It is like Christmas and your birthday. I am tearing up thinking about it.
"We want Charlie home. We have a beautiful home for him.
"If there is a problem we need to rectify then why hasn't anyone been in contact with us."
The Home Office said: "Wildlife entering the UK through the border is governed by strict domestic and international law.
"Where required documentation isn’t presented, Border Force can seize pets.
"We take the welfare of animals in our care seriously and those in our protection are looked after in suitable facilities by trained staff, with specialist veterinary care available if required."
Jess and Joe have set up a GoFundMe to help cover their costs: https://www.gofundme.com/f/cnv2h-bring-charlie-home.