A parrot named Willie alerted its owner, Megan Howard, when the toddler she was babysitting began to choke. While Megan was in another room, the parrot screamed “mama, baby” and flapped its wings as the child turned blue. Megan rushed over and performed the Heimlich, saving the girls life.

Parrot gets award for warning about choking tot

A parrot whose cries of alarm alerted his owner when a little girl choked on her breakfast has been honored as a hero.

Willie, a Quaker parrot, has been given the local Red Cross chapter’s Animal Lifesaver Award.

In November, Willie’s owner, Megan Howard, was baby-sitting for a toddler. Howard left the room and the little girl, Hannah, started to choke on her breakfast.

Willie repeatedly yelled “Mama, baby” and flapped his wings, and Howard returned in time to find the girl already turning blue.

Howard saved Hannah by performing the Heimlich maneuver but said Willie “is the real hero.”

“The part where she turned blue is always when my heart drops no matter how many times I’ve heard it,” Hannah’s mother, Samantha Kuusk, t… Continue Reading (1 minute read)