Boris the parrot found after nine years missing
A pet rainbow lorikeet that went missing from a Brisbane home nine years ago has turned up in Sydney.
The owner of Boris was stunned this week to receive a Facebook message to say her bird had been found.
When the bird flew into the lives of the Sydney family, they knew he was special but they had no idea how far he'd travelled.
Almost a decade ago in Carindale, Karley Saidy-Hennessey returned home, to find her special friend missing.
"He was my little baby ... no kids then or anything else, I’d just work and come home to Boris - we had a special little thing happening," she said.
7News organised a Skype session between James and Boris and Karley. Source: 7News.
When the cheeky parrot disappeared, Karley wasn’t sure if he had been stolen or if he had flown away.
"I searched for over a year looking for him. I posted ads on every forum I could find, I put up signs, I contacted all the verts around and I didn’t get a single response," she said
"He has a real attitude. As affectionate and everything that he was, he had a real temper as well.
"If he didn’t get his way, there would be tantrums and he did get protective of me.
"He does say the odd naughty word and I did try stopping that but obviously he’s still got that nine years later too."
The McFarlane family found him 18 months ago and have been looking for his owner ever since. This week they found an old notice on the internet and made contact with Karley.
"We’re glad that we were able to find him and hopefully we can Boris (and Karley) reunited," James said.
He asked her what the bird's favourite phrase was.
"I’d say ‘hello Boris what's doing?’ and he'd say ‘hello Boris what's doing?’ And he'd just say that all day," Karley told 7News.
Then the James sent her an audio recording, and Ms Saidy-Hennessey knew straight away it was her pet.
She told them about his favourite games and his idiosyncrasies before they exchanged photos.
After a chat over Skype, Boris remembered one of the games he used to play with Karley and then they both knew for sure and certain that this was the bird Karley spent hours upon hours looking for.
This is a photo of Boris, taken by Karley, when he was just a baby. Source: 7News
It's a 768 kilometre trip as the lorikeet flies, from Carindale in Brisbane to Menangle in Sydney.
"Rainbow lorikeets are a nomadic species of bird so they do tend to travel around with the weather and where the food is," Shannon Harriden from Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary said.
The next step will be a face-to-beak meeting in Sydney.
"If it goes well maybe he could come home or if he's happy there and doesn’t remember me anymore and I’m just a no one to him then he could stay with this family," Karley said.
Boris flying towards our 7News cameraman. Source: 7News.
