Have You Seen This? Cockatoo and 102-year-old woman strike sweet friendship

It was love at first sight for a 102-year-old grandma and cockatoo.

It was love at first sight for a 102-year-old grandma and cockatoo. (The Dodo via YouTube)


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BIRD RESCUE — If "cuddliest creatures" was a category on "Family Feud," I would probably never guess "birds" as one of the top answers.

But maybe we've been underestimating their ability to show affection. One 102-year-old grandma had the opportunity to meet a cockatoo when her granddaughter took her to visit animals at a wildlife sanctuary. When the bird was brought out, "That's when all the magic happened," the granddaughter says in a video shared by the Dodo.

"We were all shocked because umbrella cockatoos, they're very loyal to like one person, and they stay far away from everyone else," the granddaughter narrates.

The video shows the cockatoo, named Pita, going up to the grandmother for head-nuzzles and looking happy in her arms.

The family spent three hours there, she said. The grandmother's husband had passed away, and the granddaughter wondered if he "sent her the bird," as the couple had love birds as pets.

Later, the grandmother and granddaughter returned to visit Pita for the bird's birthday, bringing a gift. Pita chirped happily when she saw the grandma again and looked just as cuddly as before.

"She sat on her shoulder, and she sat on her lap the entire time," the granddaughter says. "When we were actually leaving, the bird did go on top of her walker."

The granddaughter described their connection as "love at first sight."

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Ashley Imlay is an evening news manager for KSL.com. A lifelong Utahn, Ashley has also worked as a reporter for the Deseret News and is a graduate of Dixie State University.
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