These foul-mouthed parrots had to be separated after cursing at wildlife park visitors


Five African gray parrots at the Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in the United Kingdom had to be separated after they kept encouraging each other to swear at visitors.
The foul-mouthed offenders — Billy, Elsie, Eric, Jade, and Tyson — arrived at the park in August, and right off the bat, workers learned they weren't shy. "We are quite used to parrots swearing but we've never had five at the same time," Lincolnshire Wildlife Park CEO Steve Nichols told PA Media. "Most parrots clam up outside, but for some reason these five relish it."
The parrots loved the shocked reactions from visitors, which made them curse even more, and while no one ever complained about the profane birds, officials decided to move the culprits to separate parts of the park so they don't "set each other off." Nichols hopes the parrots learn natural calls from the park's other African grays, but isn't upset over their use of colorful language. "When a parrot tells you to f--k off, it amuses people very highly," he said. "It's brought a big smile to a really hard year." Catherine Garcia
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Why reports of Donald Trump's demise are greatly exaggerated
In The Spotlight US president has once again brushed aside rumours that he's dead
-
Lose yourself in these magnificent mazes
The Week Recommends These fiendishly clever puzzles aren't just for kids
-
Codeword: September 4, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play