Alex & Me

On 6 September 2007, an African Grey parrot named Alex died prematurely at age thrity-one. His last words to his owner, Irene M. Pepperberg, were “You be good. I love you.”

The above was taken from the back of “Alex & me”, a book by Irene M. Pepperberg

Irene Pepperberg has had birds for pets since she was 4 years old. She graduated from university with a chemistry degree but realised chemistry was not her passion, animal linguistic/cognition studies were. She acquired Alex in 1977 and spent the next 30 years studying him.

It’s an excellent book, I could not get it in the shops here in the UK so I got a second hand copy all the way from the states posted out (but I can now see you can get it off Amazon)

Irene says in the book that she tried to keep an emotional distance from Alex. Tried to relate to him as a research tool but found that his personality, bossy, contrary, playful and intelligent precluded distance and they shared a deep bond..I can certainly relate to that after “being owned” by a African Grey myself for the past year now.

Rocky & Me

After the first highly emotional chapter or two, Ms Pepperberg gets down to the business of giving us her background and launches into the research work that dominated her life. The research practices and principles are clearly explained in business-like fashion, a husband gets the merest of mentions; it seems her work – Alex – was no. 1 in her life.

I found the book a riveting read and again confirms what I have always thought, that animals are intelligent creatures..never use the word “bird brain” again unless it’s a compliment