Years ago, there was a very famous comedy sketch from the British troupe Monty Python. The skit involved a man who sold a dead parrot to a customer, and then tried to deny it when the purchaser attempted to return the dead bird’s corpse.
In interesting news, simply for the sake of some levity (as there has been such a dreadful outpouring of stories for several months now), somebody actually attempted to do this in Canada- to sell a bird with a fatal disease to a customer and deny it, and the vendor lost.
According to the Civil Resolution Tribunal decision, Michael Davy said he noticed the parrot — Tiberius — was missing a few tail feathers when he bought it but was told the bird was only “molting and had clipped wings but was otherwise healthy.”
But to paraphrase one of the British comedy troupe’s most beloved sketches, in which an irate customer confronts a shopkeeper who sold him a dead parrot — the plumage didn’t enter into it.
Tiberius should have had a life expectancy of up to 40 years. Davy soon learned he had a fatal disease and — in fact — faced the prospect of becoming an ex-parrot in a just a fraction of that time.
“I find that there was an implied warranty in the parties’ contract that Tiberius would be healthy for at least six months,” wrote tribunal member Julie Gibson.
“Instead, Tiberius became very ill within weeks of the applicant’s purchase.”
‘He thought this was due to molting’
The namesake of a Roman emperor and general, Tiberius is an Eclectus parrot — a popular bird whose males are known for their bright green feathers.
Experts say the breed’s pensive manner can lead to the misapprehension that the Eclectus is “dim-witted.”
But according to the ruling, Davy noticed something more than just a little off with Tiberius in September 2019, weeks after bringing him home.
And he wasn’t just pining for the fjords. (source)
Perhaps he will go into the cheese making profession next…
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