Chantelle Rogers, administrative assistant at the Forever Paws Animal Shelter in Fall River, Massachusetts, was tasked with writing a blurb to help Hendrix get adopted. She opted for honesty.
“If you adopt Hendrix, you’re basically adopting Samuel L. Jackson,” Rogers wrote on Facebook, referring to the actor who is known, in part, for his delivery of profanity-laced dialogue in movies. “This bird’s language is not for the faint of heart.”
Her post only made people more interested.
Thousands of people shared the post, which got traction for its candor and its humor. The next day, the shelter received a windfall of about 60 adoption applications, prompting employees to close applications that day. One person was soon selected, and Hendrix’s new owner took the parrot home June 21 after hearing the bird curse a few times.
“It’s so quiet without him,” Rogers told The Washington Post. “We do definitely miss him, but we know he’s where he’s supposed to be.”
Hendrix first arrived at the shelter in April. He was surrendered to Fall River Animal Control by his prior owner of two decades, said Cynthia Berard-Cadima, the department’s supervisor. Blue-and-gold macaws can live for more than 70 years, according to the Australia Zoo, and Rogers said Hendrix is about 30 years old.
Rogers said the first person who popped into her mind when she saw the colorful macaw was the late singer and guitarist Jimi Hendrix. But many of Hendrix’s feathers were missing on his roughly 3-foot-tall body and 40-inch-wide wingspan, Rogers said, probably due to malnutrition
