Brighton family mounts urgent search for escaped African grey parrot Lola

An urgent search spread across Hangleton after Lola, a seven-year-old African grey parrot, vanished from Victoria Abberley’s home just three weeks after arriving. For the Abberley family, she was a long-saved-for dream bird, and Lewis Abberley, 25, had wanted an African grey for years.

Lola escaped on Tuesday evening, April 14, after being startled by a visitor at the door and barking dogs at the same time. The family had been told she had not flown much before, so they first hoped she would simply drop nearby. Instead, she turned, rose onto a roof and disappeared from view. Lola had already begun to settle in with Lewis, sitting on his shoulder and allowing cuddles, which made the loss feel especially sharp.

The search pushed out across Hangleton, Hove Park and Elm Drive as the family checked sightings and posted fliers. Victoria Abberley made the careful decision not to try to take Lola back from a neighbor’s enclosed garden in the dark, worried the frightened bird could panic, fly farther, injure herself or become prey for a fox. By the next morning, Lola had moved on. Her wolf-whistling and singing may still be the best clues for anyone who hears a bird nearby and does not recognize the call.

Lola’s escape is the sort of first-month crisis new parrot owners dread because the bird has not yet learned the house, the routine or the warning signs. That matters especially with African greys, which are not casual starter pets. The RSPCA says some parrots can live for more than 50 years, larger parrots such as African greys need daily interaction with people, and birds kept indoors need enrichment and flying opportunities. In a new home, a doorbell, a visitor and a barking dog can be enough to turn one startled moment into a vanished bird.

The recovery playbook has to be immediate and local. The RSPCA advises owners to report a missing pet to the microchip database and contact nearby vets, animal hospitals and rehoming centres, while continuing to check the area calmly and quietly. That approach matters for frightened parrots, which can bolt again if chased or handled too fast.

The stakes are bigger than one family’s heartbreak. African grey parrots are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and CITES placed Psittacus erithacus in Appendix I, effective January 2, 2017, reflecting long pressure from trapping and habitat loss. For the Abberleys, Lola was already becoming part of the household. In the world of parrots, that is exactly why the first weeks after rehoming demand such care.