Sewerby Hall and Gardens: Popular parrot at Yorkshire tourist attraction dies after 14 years of delighting visitors

A popular parrot who delighted visitors to a tourist attraction in Yorkshire for more than a decade has died.

Sewerby Hall and Gardens’ Ecletus parrot ‘Eckie’ died earlier this month, the attraction confirmed in a Facebook post.

He was known and loved by visitors to the zoo for his chatty nature, often saying ‘Hello Eckie’ and ‘What ya on about’ in a thick Yorkshire accent.

However, zookeepers said they had noticed Eckie wasn’t his usual self for the last couple of months and was taken to a vet for further investigations.

An x-ray uncovered a large tumour on Eckie’s liver which was untreatable.

The statement on social media said: “He was put on palliative care and came home to his Sewerby family to be spoilt and made comfortable for the time he had left. He greatly enjoyed the extra attention he was receiving and the companionship from his partner, Nellie.

“On Wednesday July 15, Eckie passed away peacefully being nursed by the head zoo keeper and assistant head zoo keeper.

“Eckie has been a prominent member of the Sewerby family for 14 years, when he was rehomed to us through exceptional circumstances. We are unsure exactly how old Eckie was but he was already an older adult when he arrived at Sewerby.

“From the moment he arrived, Eckie was a big hit with both keepers and the visitors alike and became undoubtedly one of most popular residents here at the zoo.

“Eckie was loved deeply by all the keepers and regular visitors to Sewerby, he was such a lovely parrot and will be sadly missed by everyone that knew him.”