MONTREAL – The Montreal Biodome’s Scarlet macaw will be deported to the Toronto Zoo next Friday after she only spoke English during a government inspection.
The parrot – known as “Bouton” – was the star attraction at the Tropical Ecosystem exhibit and very popular with tourists.
Chief of Animal Compliance at the Office Québecoise de la Langue Française Florence Laplante conducted two surprise visits to the Montreal attraction last week.
“On both occasions, Bouton only spoke to visitors in English,” said Lachance. “She asked for crackers, not craquelins.” Lachance continued: “Bouton also violated OQLF rules about French being the official language of the workplace. The presence of unilingual animals excludes many québecois birds from pursuing jobs in this sector.”
Bouton’s trainer, Jacques Delorme tried to take matters into his own hands by creating a French immersion course in a bid to stave off her deportation. “Every night, we made Bouton listen to ‘Star Académie’ and audiobooks about Lucien Bouchard,” Delorme explained. “However, these efforts were in vain.”
Bouton’s replacement, Marie-Eve, a Francophone Spectacled parrotlet arrives from Fossambault-sur-le-Lac next week.
UPDATE: A petition has been created to save Bouton from being deported to the Toronto Zoo.
