I have put off writing this post for as long as possible. Actually, that’s not true – I have written and re-written this five times now. This story has provided more ups and downs, twists and turns than a roller coaster ride. Every day there has been some new developments to report and just as I go to hit the publish button with the latest, something new happens. I have to stop to fill you in at some point. I don’t even know where to begin…
In April, I wrote about Angus rallying your support in signing a petition that would force the RSPCA to take action against Justin Lawther and remove Angus from his care.
The Committee To Save Angus was formed, spearheaded by Mel Vincent, an animal rescuer in Australia, and included others from both sides of the globe. The story spread like wildfire within the avian community. The Angus Facebook page was monitored around the clock, as were the pages of the RSPCA and the Victoria Police.There was, and is, continued news coverage. Everyone now knew and loved Angus – and hated Justin Lawther.
The committee were good enough to include me in their communications, and I was able to watch this story unfold, although most of the information had to be kept quiet so as not to interfere with the investigation. They spoke of the RSPCA’s failure to get the job done and they pressed on with the petition that was designed to humiliate this organization into action. Mel met with them personally to present the petition, which now had thousands of signatures.
The RSPCA functions in an entirely different capacity than does the SPCA here in the states. Here, the SPCA is an empowered animal welfare group that investigate claims of abuse and acts accordingly to build cases that are passed onto the authorities for prosecution. The RSPCA is more like a division of the police force that deals only in animal welfare and are able to act on their own. Animal related cases reported to the police are turned over to the RSPCA.
At the point where it appeared that the RSPCA were dropping the ball and backing out of involvement in the Angus case, the committee decided that the best option left to work with was to get in touch with Lawther themselves. Since it was apparent that he intended to keep this bird, which he always claimed he had bought from a pet store, it was their hope that they could reach him on a human level. The only thing left within anyone’s power at this point was to educate this man about the care of his bird.
Quietly, Mel managed to make contact with him over the phone. What followed shocked us all. Justin Lawther was not a monster. He did not set out to abuse this bird, and in fact, it was clear that he dearly loved Angus. During the course of the conversation, Justin went on to describe an adequate diet and appropriate toys and caging. Mel could hear Angus in the background chattering and whistling. The sounds of a happy, engaged bird.
He later provided pictures and videos that confirmed his description of Angus’ environment. He used words and phrases, such as “socialization”, that are only used by knowledgeable bird owners, showing that he has either done research in bird care or has a great vet backing him up. His vet, says that he did not find him to be a bad bird owner.
When questioned about his actions in the Youtube videos he put up, he did not defend or excuse himself. He had been genuinely shocked by people’s reactions. When he purchased Angus (more on ownership issues further down), his wings had been very badly clipped. Justin feels it is an injustice to deny a bird flight. In his misguided attempt to recreate flight for Angus, the windshield wiper idea was born. Not a choice most of us would have made.
In an article posted to Mel’s website just following the RSPCA’s seizure of Angus, she explained that Justin had owned a galah in the past and was not new to bird ownership. It was his experience, however, that when a parrot was frightened or displeased with the environment, it would choose to bite or fly off. Mel explained to him that, unlike virtually every other species of parrot, the male eclectus’ response to fear is to become very still, quiet and small. It is easy to see how Justin could misread Angus’ body language in the horrific windshield scenario. I am reminded about the part in the video where he believes that Angus has drifted peacefully off to sleep. Still, the word idiot comes to mind.
Mel expressed concern for Angus’ health and asked Justin to vet his bird right away. Regrettably, Justin has been the recipient of countless, vicious threats.This reality had prevented him from taking Angus to the vet in recent weeks.Justin was afraid to surface, not only for fear of physical harm to himself, but for fear that Angus would taken from him, either by the RSPCA or by a citizen taking matters into his own hands.
This was never anyone’s intention, and it should never have gotten to this point. Violence is not an acceptable solution to any problem The committee spent a lot of time removing these threats from the internet, but the anger spewed out at Justin stopped him from getting the care for Angus that the public demanded.
Mel, too, found herself in a similar situation, receiving veiled threats from people insisting that she reveal Justin’s location while indicating that they knew where she lived. Justin’s whereabouts is not information she has ever been in possession of.
Since the RSPCA has taken Angus (he is currently in foster care at an undisclosed location), two important things have come to light. First, Angus’ blood work has come back showing him to be in good health. It was initially feared, due to his feathering and it’s coloring, that he may have been infected with the Avian Polyomavirus which runs rampant in Australia. This concern, while valid, turns out to be untrue.
And secondly, as to ownership, it has been established that this is NOT Carrie Chatter’s stolen eclectus. The one main distinguishing feature that both birds had in common was the unusual chip in the beak. However, microchip papers have shown that Justin’s bird was purchased in September, which is prior to the disappearance of Carrie’s bird. Angus rightfully belongs to Justin.
Justin has learned greatly from this experience. He regrets the error in his thinking and is paying for his mistakes. He states that he is actually glad that he has had to face this ordeal. Without this experience he might have continued riding Angus on his wiper blades so that he could experience a type of “flight”, which he now knows is wrong and dangerous. He wouldn’t have come in contact with the people he has, who looked past his actions, and extended their hands to him in an effort to further educate him about bird ownership and support him through the battles he now faces. How can you hate someone who wants his mistakes be a learning tool for the rest of us? How can you judge someone who wants to learn and move forward?
So, what we are left with is a homeless bird that is missing it’s owner, and an owner that pines for the return of his beloved bird. For whatever reason, the RSPCA sees clear to retain possession of Angus even though no charges have been filed against Justin at this time. This may be explained by the fact that Justin disappeared with the bird once before when the heat was on. Although, given the threats he was receiving, there wasn’t much choice on his part.
Justin doesn’t try to hide his past. He has been less than a law abiding citizen at times. But he is a human being, and I feel compassion for his plight. All of us reading this can easily understand his pain. Once you have experienced the special bond that exists between a bird and its human, it is impossible not to be touched by this story. Surely, we can all sympathize.
But Justin Lawther is turning out to be his own worst enemy. His erratic behavior in recent days may the very thing that secures that he does NOT get his bird back. He is not an eloquent man. He seems to spend a lot of his time with his foot in his mouth. In his grief, he has resorted to acts of desperation and is staging a public hunger strike in the protest of the removal of his bird. He has been the subject of several interviews. In most, he has portrayed himself to be a raving lunatic, which will only turn away public support.
To Justin Lawther: I understand your pain and I feel for you. I know you are not a bad person. Most of all, I know you love your bird. Please follow the good advice that is being given to you. Be calm. Stop and think before you act because what you say and do now will ultimately affect the futures of both Angus and yourself. Public opinion put the wheels of this event in motion, and it will determine the outcome. What happens next is entirely up to you and how you handle this crisis.
Patty Jourgensen specializes in avian health, behavior and nutrition and has been working with and caring for rescue birds since 1987.
70 comments
I agree. Let Angus go home and monitor what’s going on. It sounds like Justin just made a mistake. The fact he’s willing to be seen as an example is a huge thing. If he hadn’t accepted it, he would have been angry and argumentative rather than agreeable.
NEVER RETURN HIM TO THE PSYCOPATH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don`t trust people they are narsistic, liers, and evel at the most . Fact – he ran! Fact – the infintiall acting out now. Like said above I HAVE AREQUED FEMALE ECLICTUS THAT IS SO FISESS AFTER PEOPLE BBROKE HER WING SO SEE COUN`T FLY AWAY . and after years of working with here with daves help she still can`t be trusted . IWOULD LIKE TO BUT THE TWO IN THE SMALL ROOM SO AS HE THECRAZY MAN WILL FEAL PAIN FROM HER BEAK AND NAILS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think we were all disgusted by the windshield incident, however there are always at least two sides to any story. Unfortunately Angus cannot tell his. If it is right that investigations have shown that Justin provides a good home environment for Angus to live in, and in all other circumstances provides proper care for Angus, then it may be reasonable to consider giving him a second chance. If this was truly just a moronic error of judgement by Justin trying to give the bird a flight simulation, and Justin truly loves and cares for Angus, then it may be reasonable to return Angus and arrange check-ups by the RSPCA to ensure that Angus is being cared for as he should be. Give Justin the option of taking further education of animal care perhaps ? In this way he will learn the difference between right and WRONG. @ Linda Jones – I do not think it is in any way reasonable to compare this to a parent raping their child.
No. Angus should NOT go back to Justin. The man’s damn near psychotic behavior just proves how inept he is as caring for a creature that is all but a toddler. If I had the means, I would go to Australia myself and put myself up to adopt Angus. Sure, I’m not Australian, but coming to the States would get Angus as far away from Justin as possible. The man says he wanted Angus to “experience flight”. Okay, so, close all the windows and doors in your house and let him ACTUALLY FLY. If I want my boys to experience flight, I let them fly around my bedroom. My conure particularly enjoys it when I stand near the wall opposite my bed and toss him from my hand toward the bed. My cockatiel likes jumping off the highest hook on the coat rack on my door. I don’t torture them to let them experience flight. I LET THEM FLY. Angus needs to go to someone who KNOWS birds, who knows what it takes to keep a bird happy and healthy and SAFE.
Valery Savage I totally agree with you. He’s also bored and will try anything to get attention. He has to pay for his mistakes and learn lessons from them. My question is how many lessons will it take for the messages to “sink in?” He is a troubled person. He has a child like mentality and needs help. Everything is not a joke to overyone; it’s only a joke to them that has the same morbid mentality. It was a STUPID thing to do; then brag about it by putting it on YouTube so he can get other IDIOTS laughing. While the other idiots were laughing he suffer the consequence of losing the bird he claims he loved. Now he’s really going to act like a “Fool” by doing something “Stupid”. The saga is not over! I am glad the bird has been removed, even though ‘we know as bird lovers’ the bird was attached to it’s owner and miss him. Birds do not hold grudges; and soon forget the abuse and/or will learn to adjust by cowardly obeying it’s master on command out of fear. (If birds could speak our language; I am sure they would have a lot to say about our behavior) We would not like what they have to say at times about us!!!! I just hope the bird does not greive himself to death. The bird can learn to love and trust another owner. We just pray that the new owner is truly a bird lover. A person that will love the bird like it’s a child of theres.
This person is an attention seeker, given the YouTube video, the pathetic behaviour together with hunger-strike and heaven knows what else, in attempt to gain attention. Ill-educated together with irrational behaviour cannot be overlooked when there is a bird – OR ANY ANIMAL for that matter. These birds and animals are dependent apon us to look after them as best we can – afterall – we have taken them from their natural environments. It is bad enough that society has to put up with the warped, ill-educated, ill-disciplined humans that people breed. For this I have little tolerance, BUT I will not condone any ill-treatment – for whatever idiotic reason – towards any bird or animal. I suggest a sentence of long standing – how about life-long – of service at many various rescue units for both birds and animals – perhaps when this idiot is brought up close and personal to all the horrors one comes across at these stations, perhaps then there could be some understanding about the course of actions that this person so openly and gleefully followed! A further suggestion is that this person attend a REPUTABLE organisation who can direct and educate him to conduct himself in an appropriately, balanced manner, but I won’t put my money on the success thereof.
No loving bird owner would subject their bird to the horific and disturbing abuse Justin inflicted on his bird. If he truly wanted the bird to feel like it was flying then there is 1, possibly 2, options availble to him. He could wait for the bird to molt and grow new flight feathers; or he could train the bird to perform a trick whereby the bird would ride on a skateboard or such object. As the bird cannot fly at present then how about giving it the love and attention it deserves to show it that humans can indeed be trusted. It is misguided acts like Justin’s that cause birds to die or live in an abusive environment. Justin, if you really love birds then I suggest you love them from a distance.
@Linda Jones. FACT: He Did the Wrong Thing FACT: HE HAD HIS BIRD REMOVED FACT: HE NOW UNDERSTANDS THAT HIS BIRD “SLEEPING” WAS NOT A SIGN OF RELAXATION, BUT RAQTHER A DEFENSE MECHANISM BIGGEST FACT: YOU ARE A MORON… HOW DARE YOU ATTACK ONE OF THE WORLDS MOST RESPECTED BIRD TRAINERS AND A VERY SMART MAN WHEN IT COMES TO UNDERSTANDING BIRD OWNERSHIP. IT ISYOU WHO NEEDS TO REMOVE YOUR RUBBISH FROM THIS FORUM.
This has got to be the most liberal, insane article I have ever read. For the love of God grow up! Evil exists in this world and just met it. If you can’t face it maybe you should get another job. For the sake of Angus and others like him PLEASE grow up!!
Justin, hire a lawyer. The RSPCA hs no jurisdiction to withold your bird.
Justin should not get Angus back under any means. No matter how musch he says he loved Angus, doesn’t make up for his pure stupidity!! Angus deserves a way better home. It ’s a pretty nice excuse he came up with to get away with this abuse. However, nobody has the right to pose threats to Justin, he just should not have any pets.I pray for Angus that he is safe where his is at and that the right new owner comes along for him.
Every psychopath rationalizes and tries to cover up for his misdeeds. This aberrant behavior is inexcusable and I am astonished at the naivete of anyone who would “feel sorry” for Justin Lawther. He claims to love his bird? Nobody with love or common sense would have thus abused his bird. Let me proffer an analogous situation: men who beat the crap out of their wives also claim to “love” them. Don’t fall for Justin Lawther’s act. It’s calculated to make himself look good and whitewash himself.
I still feel the same as when I first read about the “windshield incident”, sick to my stomach. This baby should go to someone with an ounce of sense. Justin may have made a stupid mistake but what other stupid ideas are in his head! It would be cruel to return angus to this, what did one fellow say, a nutter.
The plight of Angus is very sad. Lets look at the bigger picture – for every Parrot that has a loving knowledgable home, there are thousands who do not – every year thousands of birds are hand reared by breeders & bird farms for the pet trade – the main motive for this is financial gain. Every year, thousands of these birds are dumped, sold on like mere possessions or left living in squalor, unloved & uncared for. We believe every breeder should be accountable for their actions – every bird should be microchipped & traceable to not just its owner but also the person who bred it – then when it ends up dumped in a rescue centre the person who bred it should be responsible for the financial cost of caring for it for the rest of its life! (the average cost of a vet bill for a Parrot by a specialist avian vet is anything from £150 – £600) Parrots do not make suitable pets for most people – sadly most are more intelligent than the people who buy them – as is clearly highlighted in the plight of poor Angus. Human beings are the Parrots worst enemy – their natural habitat has been destroyed by humans & many thousands suffer miserable lives in captivity due to human greed & the desire to possess an ‘unusual entertaining pet’. Isn’t it about time the needs of the Parrots came first……….
Today I had my friend Billy the bird helping me fall trees in steep mountain terrain. Too bad I don’t have a video camera. I’m sure you would love a “parrot on the chainsaw” video. The SS Animal Rights Grenadiers would be on my case right away. Not all birds are kept by frigid old ladies. Some get to go out and enjoy some adventure. We had a great time.
I have to say i am a bit disgusted by the amount of empathy that some are showing this man. And i have to call BS on his excuses of ignorance to the fact that forcing your bird to cling to your windshield while you barrel down the highway is an acceptable method of creating a flight simulation for a bird whose wings have been clipped to short. Nobody who has supposedly displayed adequate knowledge of bird care, or for that matter, any animal care, would think that this was a good idea. And to top it off, record it, and post it to youtube of all places. This was a harebrained stunt thought up by someone who is obviously far to immature to be entrusted with the life and wellbeing of any animal. No animal should have to suffer this type of treatment and frankly I am sick of people trying to de-emphasize the severity of these type of actions. Trying to make them out as “a momentary lapses in judgment”. The possible consequences of such actions are far too dire. As i work within the EMS community I absolutely do not condone vigilante justice and as a Christian I do believe he should be forgiven. But I absolutely do not think this should be forgotten and that Angus should be put back in harms way by allowing his owner to regain custody. Should this have happened here in the state this man would have been arrested, prosecuted and charged with animal cruelty and been denied the ability to own a animal in the future. This may seem to harsh a punishment to some but we always say hind site in 20/20 and usually it takes a tragic death for us to start looking in the rearview. Let get ahead of the 8 ball on this one and make sure Angus lives a full happy life with an owner who has the maturity and foresight to teat him as he deserves to be treated. If I have learned anything from the Birdtricks team it’s that any bird can be taught to enjoy the affections of any DESERVING person if you have the patients, passion, and time to give these wonderful animals. So where initially there may be a hole in Angus’s heart from the loss of his owner I am sure it can be filled by a loving and caring new companion.
I have to say i am a bit disgusted by the amount of empathy that some are showing this man. And i have to call BS on his excuses of ignorance to the fact that forcing your bird to cling to your windshield while you barrel down the highway is an acceptable method of creating a flight simulation for a bird whose wings have been clipped to short. Nobody who has supposedly displayed adequate knowledge of bird care, or for that matter, any animal care, would think that this was a good idea. And to top it off, record it, and post it to youtube of all places. This was a harebrained stunt thought up by someone who is obviously far to immature to be entrusted with the life and wellbeing of any animal. No animal should have to suffer this type of treatment and frankly I am sick of people trying to de-emphasize the severity of these type of actions. Trying to make them out as “a momentary lapses in judgment”. The possible consequences of such actions are far too dire. As i work within the EMS community I absolutely do not condone vigilante justice and as a Christian I do believe he should be forgiven. But I absolutely do not think this should be forgotten and that Angus should be put back in harms way by allowing his owner to regain custody. Should this have happened here in the state this man would have been arrested, prosecuted and charged with animal cruelty and been denied the ability to own a animal in the future. This may seem to harsh a punishment to some but we always say hind site in 20/20 and usually it takes a tragic death for us to start looking in the rearview. Let get ahead of the 8 ball on this one and make sure Angus lives a full happy life with an owner who has the maturity and foresight to teat him as he deserves to be treated. If I have learned anything from the Birdtricks team it’s that any bird can be taught to enjoy the affections of any DESERVING person if you have the patients, passion, and time to give these wonderful animals. So where initially there may be a hole in Angus’s heart from the loss of his owner I am sure it can be filled by a loving and caring new companion.
While I see that Justin has a bond with Angus, the fact still remains that he put the bird in grave danger. I have a female Eclectus, but before purchasing such a lovely breed of bird, I did research. One of the first behaviours mentioned in all articles is the “Eclectus Freeze” as they call it, the bird sits very still when frightened. I only hope the best outcome is attained for Angus as these birds are very precious and a total pleasure to have as a companion.
I also agree that this man should not get his bird back. He is not smart enought to care for his bird .Anyone who would do this to a helpless bird is not capable of making good judgement for the safety of his bird. What ever happened to the gallah that he once owned? That poor baby . People should not own birds if they do not know how to care for them properly. Education is important when caring for any animal, but common scense is most important. Justin has no common scense.
There is that old saying of “loving something to death.” Justin’s way of loving this bird was clearly NOT in Angus’ best interest and I don’t think he should go back to him. That bird was clearly terrified on the wipers and Justin’s inability to see that shows he needs to learn far more before owning an animal like that again. I really hope and pray that Angus gets to live in a GOOD home!
Maybe he doesn’t deserve the threats but I’m sorry. I just don’t buy this whole ‘he didn’t know’ business. I have never had ANY training in bird care and yet have owned birds…have a cockatiel now. I too believe they shouldn’t be clipped and should be allowed to fly but I would never even have considered putting a bird on anything, car or otherwise, to simulate flying. Let the feathers grow in and in time when they do, he will then be able to fly. To me this shows a complete lacking in plain common sense not to even anticipate the dangers of any bird in that situation ie with being blown off by wind, or hit by a stone. I didn’t watch the video…couldn’t bare to. With sort of lacking of common sense he isn’t fit to own ANY animal if he can’t see how dangerous a thing that was to do because he was ‘educated’ or ‘trained’. Give me a break. He shouldn’t be allowed to have him back.
If that bird is given back to him then who ever gives it back is no better than Justin Lawther. If he cant think for himself, he sure cannot think for the bird.
I believe Justin is quite the oddball but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t get a second chance with Angus. Justin has learned from his mistakes. I am wondering what other oddball ideas he may come up with but we can’t, as a society, control what people may or may not do. I would urge Justin to keep calm in his endeavers as he proceeds in his quest to get Angus back. Lastly, let’s all remember that humans are falible, any of us at any time can make a mistake. Would you like to pay for your mistakes the rest of your life?
It’s nice that you’re giving Lawther the benefit of the doubt. However—you neglected to mention the glee Lawther had in speeding and then abruptly stopping with Angus on the windshield. He seemed to think the possibility of knocking Angus off the windshield was hilarious. And if Angus had fallen off, there was a good possibility that he would have been run over by another cars. How could any reasonable person not realize that? This is a sad story because I believe Lawther is attached to Angus on some level. But he appears to be a damaged person (drug addict?) who is incapable of adequately and consistently caring for another living creature.
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