By CASEY NEILL
A DANDENONG North family is offering a $500 reward for their bird’s safe return – and searching for the owner of a lookalike cockatiel in their care.
Melissa Rankin was cleaning 10-month-old Lelo’s cage when he flew the coup on 8 March.
He says “kiss kiss” and loves to whistle to the tune ‘If you’re happy and you know it’.
“We spend a lot of time with him,” she said.
“He’s part of the family.”
Ms Rankin and her daughter Leila, 4, have been calling out his name and whistling his favourite tunes whenever they go outside.
“Leila always asks when he’s coming back,” she said.
“She thinks his mum and dad bird took him back to the nest for a bit.”
A bird matching Lelo’s description was found last week, but when he arrived at her home, Ms Rankin realised it wasn’t her cockatiel.
“It doesn’t have the same pitch or tail feathers and he’s a lot younger,” she said.
“It was very thin when we got it. It’s pretty good now.”
Call Melissa on 0432 898 982 with any information about Lelo’s whereabouts or his lookalike’s owner.
