It’s always disheartening to read about abuse of parrots – but unfortunately there are animal cruelty stories in the news on a regular basis.

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, a man was arrested for abusing his parrot. He was carrying the bird in his backpack, and witnesses say he shook it so hard its feathers were falling out – the bird tried to fight back, leaving a few good bites and scratches on the abusive man. Police said the parrot was squawking loudly when they arrived on the scene.  They said the bird was limping and had a red eye and some areas where feathers were missing. The jack*&# claimed he was just training the bird. Nice attitude.  The abuser is being held in Washtenaw County Jail and faces a charge of  animal cruelty; this is  a felony charge (thank goodness some states do this!) that carries a maximum sentence of one year, a $5,000 fine or 500 hours of community service. Let’s hope he does some jail time.