Hearts have melted online over a bird’s priceless reaction to seeing his previous owner for the first time since life-changing surgery.
Boo, a 40-year-old cockatoo, was dealt a tough hand early in his life. He suffered abuse before and lost a toe, and was rescued during a police raid nearly 25 years ago. Then, 10 years ago, his eyesight went. This, together with his history of abuse, made Boo unadoptable as an animal companion, his current owner, Amy Hurst, told Newsweek.
However, despite his past, a woman, Nedra, decided to adopt the bird anyway. During her five years with Boo, she learned that he was the furthest thing from being the horrible creature that people labeled him. However, her other bird kept picking on Boo, causing him to become stressed and lose weight. Nedra wanted him to be in a better home where he could thrive, which is where Hurst came in.
“When I got him, he couldn’t see,” Hurst said. “He had no muscle mass and couldn’t fly … he couldn’t sit on a perch because he didn’t have strong-enough muscles.”
Hurst began helping Boo regain his strength and confidence, which came with “a lot of hand feeding.” When Boo started feeling and looking better, she began exploring the idea of surgery to help with his cataracts.
Boo received “life-changing surgery” in March at NC State College Veterinary Hospital in North Carolina that helped restore his vision. Since then, Boo has been acting like a kid again instead of a 40-year-old bird, and Hurst wanted Nedra to see him in his new state.
Thankfully, Nedra lives only 20 minutes away, and she recently made the drive to see her old pet, as she does from time to time. Hurst calls Boo their “joint custody” bird and filmed the animal’s reaction to seeing his previous owner for the first time in his life. The video was shared to the TikTok account @birdsinthedoghouse on March 29.
Boo immediately started jumping up and down on his perch. His beak stayed open with his feathers sticking straight up, and the jumping turned into dancing. The two looked at each other in amazement as he could finally see the woman who gave him a second chance.
Boo’s progress since surgery has blown Hurst away. The bird has never flown in his 40 years, but she said he flew from his perch down 4 feet for the first time, a giant accomplishment for him.
Now, Hurst is looking forward to Boo joining her again in animal-assisted therapy programs. As a therapy animal, the bird works with residents at assisted living homes, as well as children with autism.
“He’s not just a bird who got his sight back, but he’s a poster child of resilience,” Hurst said.
Viewer Reactions
TikTok users immediately fell in love with Boo, cheering for the heartwarming reunion between him and his previous owner.
“I didn’t know birds could smile. Such a beautiful thing,” commented one person.
Another posted: “His kisses and cheek rub, he is so happy to see her.”
A third user wrote: “This is beyond precious, wow!!!”
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