‘We asked them to share the poster and they’ve put please note this is Charlie, not Chanel’

“I’m certainly not going to walk around in lashes shouting Charlie”

15:03, 11 Jun 2025Updated 15:15, 11 Jun 2025

Charlie the parrot is missing from home in Skelmersdale(Image: Frank Wood)

A man has put out a plea for the return of a “valued member of the family” who went missing from his home in Skelmersdale. Frank Wood has put posters up all around the town and there are lots of people in the community keeping an eye out for Charlie, who has been missing since May 16.

Frank said: “We’re missing him desperately. He’s very lovable — everyone who comes to the house loves him. He’s never flown away before. He’s very talkative: he likes peanuts, he can say peanuts and he can say apple.

But we don’t want to give away too much detail about what he can say, the unique phrases. That’s all we have to prove he is ours.”

Charlie is a Congo African Grey parrot. He’s allowed to fly freely around the house and when Frank and his wife go into the garden, he sits out with them and perches on the back of the lawn chairs.

Frank said: “But for some reason, he got spooked that day. He flew up and the winds were in the right direction and he just went.

“We have high hopes that he’s local. It’s a very green area so there’s plenty of trees, which he loves to go between.

“He looks like a pigeon with a red tail which makes it really hard — every time one flies past we’re thinking ‘What if it’s Charlie?’”

African Greys have long lifespans; Frank estimates Charlie is around 30 years old. He took Charlie in around 15 years ago because his previous owner was no longer able to look after him.

This breed was in the news in 2020 after a video of a woman in Netherton calling for her lost parrot Chanel went viral.

Sandra Hannah became an internet sensation and Chanel was found three days later, a mile away from her home. But the parrot went missing again in 2021.

Frank and his wife are well aware of the Chanel comparisons and Frank said: “Lancashire Police have already had a little laugh about it, we asked them to share the poster and they’ve put: ‘Please note this is Charlie, not Chanel.’

“I’m a bit camera shy as it is. I’m certainly not going to walk around in lashes shouting Charlie!”

Not Charlie: Chanel the parrot went missing in Netherton(Image: ITV)

Charlie’s life in Skelmersdale has been idyllic up to now. He has his own room with a trolley and a perch, as well as an open cage in which he sleeps.

Frank said: “When you go into his room of a morning he says, ‘Good morning, how are you today?’”

Charlie’s loving owners got excited when a woman in Wythenshawe made contact saying she had found a parrot matching Charlie’s description and, like Charlie, he was neither ringed nor chipped.

But it wasn’t Charlie. Frank said: “The person who found that parrot still has him — apparently over 100 people have called claiming it’s their lost parrot.

“This breed is worth between £3,000 and £5,000. So there’s a lot of scammers out there. Unscrupulous people could end up buying him on the black market – it happens with all kinds of pets, especially French bulldogs and speciality breeds. It’s big business.

“We’ve even had ‘pet detectives’ get in touch trying to solve the case like Ace Ventura.

“We’re just keeping our fingers crossed and our eyes peeled that someone might spot him. He can be a bit skittish with strangers but he knows his name, and if you call it, he will answer. He’s a valued member of the family and we love him desperately.”

If you see a Congo African Grey parrot in the Skelmersdale area, please contact Frank on 07984615468. There will be a reward for his safe return.

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