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Radio Viseu Cidade Viriato

segunda-feira, 20 de outubro de 2008

Parakeets destroying precious windmill

A windmill that withstood the Blitz and the worst of the English weather for 150 years is being destroyed – by parakeets.

The grade II listed building has suffered £50,000 of damage courtesy of 12 rose-ringed parakeets, which are using its sails to sharpen their beaks.

The birds could be descendants of ones which escaped during the filming of the Humphrey Bogart movie The African Queen at Shepperton Studioby s in Surrey in 1951.


They normally live in Africa or Asia but these ones are well established in Croydon, south London, where the Shirley Windmill has become their latest target.

It was twice bombed during World War II and has also been struck numerous times by lightning since being built in 1854. But the parrots may be its final foe. 'They just won't listen to us,' said Clive Higgins, secretary of the Friends of Shirley Windmill, which opens the building regularly in the summer to the public.

He added: 'We wave our arms and shout at them but the parakeets are just too high up and they carry on gnawing and chipping away at the wood. They're pests and are destroying our glorious windmill.

'It is getting towards a point when the windmill may be deemed a danger to the public.'

In July, parakeets caused £10,000 of damage to the spire at the 1836 St John's Church in Croydon.

A church spokesman said at the time: 'They love the shingles and have pulled out at least 100 of them. Maybe they're looking for insects. Now we're at a complete loss.'

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