Drayton Manor gives Silver a birthday bash to remember
Drayton Manor treated one feathery resident to a tasty treat to mark a very special milestone.
Silver the cockatoo was gifted a special carrot cake to celebrate the parrot's 40th birthday,
As cockatoos are highly social birds, Silver celebrated the landmark occasion with five of his closest friends and family, including his best friend Sansa and son Sakoko who he lives with at Drayton Manor Park’s 15-acre conservation zoo.
Silver was bought by a private owner from a pet shop in Amsterdam in 1980 and lived happily with them until they sadly passed away in 2009, at which point he took up residence in an animal care college where he spent seven years helping to teach the students how to care for parrots.
Silver retired from teaching in 2016 and now lives with his friends and family at Drayton Manor Park’s zoo, which is home to more than500 animals and supports a number of conservation organisations including the World Parrot Trust which works tirelessly to save parrots around the globe.
Chris Mitchell, head of zoo operations at Drayton Manor Park, said: “Silver is our oldest cockatoo and we’re thrilled to be celebrating his 40th birthday this week.
“Sadly, white cockatoos are endangered in the wild and their population is decreasing.
"That’s why conservation is a huge part of our focus at Drayton Manor, and being able to study and breed the birds as well as raise funds for wild parrots is fantastic.
“Silver thoroughly enjoyed his birthday cake which didn’t last very long. He had an early night after all the celebrations – maybe 40 isn’t the new 30 after all."
