Rescued Parrot Finds New Life as Charleston Tour Guide

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Rescued Parrot Finds New Life as Charleston Tour Guide
March 29, 2010
Raymond Rivera
ABC News 4

Charleston, SC - A parrot rescued from a shelter now serves as a guide at a tour in Charleston. According to the Charleston Pirate Tours Company, Captain Bob, a blue and gold macaw, doesn’t have a tour guide license, but is quickly becoming one of the most requested tour guides in Charleston.

Eric Lavender, owner of the pirate tours, and his family adopted Capt. Bob in May 2006 from BirdLove Avian Sanctuary in Columbia.

The tour group says Capt. Bob is just one of thousands of companion birds brought to shelters across the country.

Lavender says, “We can tell what his past life was like by what he says. He yells at himself a lot and calls himself a bad bird. His former owners must have done nothing but yell at him. Bob probably never heard a kind word until he arrived at BirdLove. We are so thankful for the work they do at the Sanctuary and so happy to have Bob as part of our family.”

The Captain actually lets Charleston Pirate Tours owner Eric Lavender do most of the talking on the tours, although Capt. Bob does offer his own special brand of commentary from time to time.

In addition to the walking tours, Captain Bob has made appearances at local schools, libraries, and the Charleston Museum, to name a few. Captain Bob is also an “employee” of Island Paradise Balloon Art, also owned by the Lavenders.

You can learn more about Captain Bob at www.CharlestonPirateTour.com