If there’s one thing Akira the golden pheasant is dead serious about, it’s ensuring the safety of its aviary buddies, the parakeets. And if it has to do battle with marauding owls, it’ll sound the alarm by screeching at the top of its lungs and frantically flapping its wings.
And that’s exactly what it did one night when an owl started pecking relentlessly at the netting of the aviary in its bid to steal the food inside.
Akira’s screeches were so loud it was enough to jolt Cyren Wong Zhi Hoong out of his deep sleep. Worried that something bad had happened, Wong dashed to the aviary outside and spotted the owl straightaway.
“Akira was alerting me that an owl had appeared, and had scared the other parakeets in the aviary,” he said.
“The second time another owl came, Akira lurched at the net, scaring the owl away. I think the owl didn’t expect to find a creature in the aviary that would fight back.”
Wong said he was amazed at Akira’s bravery and touched at how protective the pheasant was of its home and the occupants living in it.
“Akira is such a special pet to me; the fact that it’s timid and quiet yet protective over the other birds.”
Maybe it was simply Akira’s way of showing its gratitude at being saved. The bird was actually doomed to a stifling and lonely life in a cage until Wong agreed to foster it until a permanent home could be found.
According to Wong, the bird belonged to a farmer who wished to get rid of it as it was aggressive and often attacked the other birds on his farm.
“Initially I was a bit worried about keeping the bird in the aviary as I was afraid it would attack my parakeets,” Wong said, deciding to isolate the pheasant from the others by keeping it in his backyard initially.
However, after observing him for two weeks, Wong realised that the bird was actually rather timid and quiet. This gave him confidence to let the pheasant live in the aviary with his beloved parakeets.
It was a wise decision as the pheasant felt right at home and never caused any chaos in the aviary, getting along famously with its roommates, the parakeets.
Relieved and happy, Wong named the bird Akira and decided that he no longer wanted to foster the bird. He wanted to be its permanent owner instead. A decision he is happy to have made.
This article was written by Anne Grace Savitha. Read more pet stories here.
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