Parrot steals from British tourist
A Scottish visitor to New Zealand has claimed his holiday savings were snatched by a parrot.
Peter Leach, from Glasgow, said the cheeky bird stole hundreds of dollars from his campervan.
The Scottish tourist left the windows down on his van after stopping to snap photos, including one of an unusual bird on the ground near his vehicle.
"A Canadian couple walked by and said: ‘We’ve just seen that bird take something out of your campervan’," he said.
"It took all the money I had. I was left with 40 dollars in my pocket."
Stuff NZ reported that the unsuspecting tourist had stashed his travel cash – about NZD1300 (USD1100) – in a small cloth bag and left it on the dashboard, where the bird apparently found it.
The bird – a kea – grabbed the bag and flew off.
Mr Leach reported the incident to local police to enable him to make an insurance claim.
"The man I dealt with was very serious for the first few questions," Mr Leach said.
"Then he said, ‘Do you mind if I just stop to laugh?"
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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