Mo Jo,a 6-month-old African grey, back w/ owner after nearly drowning

[Lisa B]

By CURT SLYDER
cslyder@journalandcourier.com

MONTICELLO -- Claudia Shown has her Mo Jo back.

Mo Jo, the 6-month-old African grey parrot, is back with his owner after nearly drowning in floodwaters that badly damaged Shown's house on Brandywine Lane.

Good Samaritans pulled the bird, cage and all, from Shown's house on Tuesday, whisking him to safety in their fishing boat.

"It's like heaven," Shown said.

She and Mo Jo were recovering from their ordeal Friday in Monticello's Best Western Brandywine Inn & Suites hotel.

Their ordeal started Tuesday morning when Shown realized floodwaters had started to invade her home.

She was preparing to leave and had readied Mo Jo as well, putting him in a small traveling cage.

But when a rescue boat arrived to take Shown out, a rescuer wouldn't let her take the bird with her.

"The rescue worker made me put him back in his big cage," she said.

That was hard for her to swallow. Shown had just lost her 13-year-old pet miniature pinscher a day earlier to a stroke.

Rescue workers took her to shore, then to an emergency shelter where Shown waited for her son. She also made arrangements to stay at the hotel for the time being.

When her son arrived, he suggested they go back to her house to get Mo Jo. But they couldn't reach it. There was too much water.

Her neighbor contacted another neighbor, who had two brothers on their way down with a fishing boat. Arthur Bogash of Crown Point and Richard Bogash of Gary share a nearby camper that they visit in the summer.

When they arrived, the duo agreed to get Mo Jo.

"The water was about half way up his cage," Arthur Bogash said. "He was sitting on his perch, shaking."

They put his approximately 5-foot-tall cage in their boat, bringing him to shore.

"He'd been traumatized," Shown said, adding he's still a little shaky at times.

Since Tuesday, the two have been staying at the hotel.

As of Friday, the Best Western was housing flood victims in 15 rooms, said Alissa Morlan, the hotel's director of sales. The hotel was offering flood victims a 50 percent discount and allowing them to bring their pets.

The hotel has also made arrangements for food for the flood victims.

Since the big cage was too big for the hotel, "the front desk lady got Claudia a birdcage," Morlan said. "Her mother raises birds. She had an old cage in storage."

Shown said she is very thankful to the hotel employees, her neighbors and the Bogash brothers. "If they hadn't got him, he would have drowned."
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[shadowsmom]

Monticello is only about 45 minutes from where I live. That area really got hammered with the rain. We still have standing water in the fields in my area.
Isn't it sad that they wouldn't let her take Mo Jo in the boat?? I'm just glad everything turned out okay!

[greencinacheeks]

thats soo good everything is ok!!!


~Nate

[Tishrei]

Wow, that must have been absolutely heartwrenching for her to have to leave her bird knowing in her mind that it was going to die. She would have no way of knowing that it would turn out all right in the end.

I make no judgments towards her for I have never had to face that situation. I can only speak from the perspective of never having faced that situation and from that perspective, I have thought about situations like that many times. So with that in mind, sitting here in safety, I cannot imagine taking one last look at Ducky or Tulip before I left for safety while I knew they were going to die a tragic death while I went to safety. I just don't know if I could do it.

But again, I cannot make any judgments and I am very happy she is safe and that her bird is safe. I hope and pray that they have many years together.

[Lisa B]

NJ will now allow evacuees to take pets....
my hubby is in the national guard. When looking at homes, I didnt want to be right on the water for evacuation reasons. I figured he would be coming in to save his own family!

[birdlady49]

Glad to read a happy ending for a change! Right on, Mo Jo!

[dunklekatze]

Jesus H... I could not go through this article without tearing up. That must have been beyond difficult for her... I'm so glad that Mo Jo's okay and it's owner... That's such a scary thought though.

[Addicted to Tequila]

They need to make a NATIONAL law that allows the removal of pets. Did they learn nothing from Katrina?

[TikusMom]

I second that Robyn! I'd sign a petition for that in a heartbeat!
I can't imagine the torment that poor lady went through having to leave Mo Jo behind! I'm glad it all worked out in the end, but how many more were lost that day because they weren't allowed to take their pets! Heartwrenching indeed!