‘Model Citizen’ Parrots Under Attack in Los Angeles County Communities

A disturbing wave of violence threatens Southern California’s wild parrots, mysterious but welcome residents that have populated Los Angeles and surrounding areas for decades, according to a report by  KTLA’s Austin Turner and Jennifer McGraw.

According to Cleo Watts, founder of nonprofit Cleo’s Critter Care in Pasadena, approximately eleven parrots have been killed or seriously injured through suspected shootings in recent weeks.

“I’ve been getting a lot of phone calls for birds being shot down,” Watts told KTLA’s Jennifer McGraw, expressing dismay at the attacks on the local wildlife residents.

The latest incidents follow a troubling pattern of hostility toward these birds, after similar attacks occurred in 2023 when unknown perpetrators placed deadly nets in Temple City trees.

One particularly disturbing case brought to Watts’s facility involved a parrot missing half of its wing, highlighting the severity of injuries being inflicted.

While acknowledging that some residents find the parrots’ presence irritating due to noise levels, Watts defended the birds, telling KTLA, “We have leaf blowers, we have people with loud car exhausts, crying babies, barking dogs. We don’t go shooting them. So why these guys?”

Local authorities are seeking information about suspects while Watts continues providing care for injured survivors at her Pasadena facility, coordinating with specialists to deliver intensive treatment as needed.

Those who find injured birds can contact Pasadena Humane’s 24-hour emergency service number is (626) 792-7151 ext. 102 or Watts at cleoscrittercareca@gmail.com.