Gemmalalala

So, last year I adopted a sweet female parrot from a friend of a friend who kept the thing in a dark basement for over 10 years. 10 YEARS, and all because she was unwilling to put up with the noise, she was unwilling to take care of such a complex animal. After an entire year of therapy and introducing the poor thing to proper nutrician and interaction, Ruby has become a loving part of my family.

I feel parrots should be viewed as perpetual children rather than pets. Even if you have a child of your own, at least they’ll get out of your hair once they reach a reasonable age like 18. With many parrots, you are stuck with the feathery equivalent of a human toddler for up to 70+ years. What you have is an animal who’s intelligence has been compared to chimpanzees and dolphins. African Grays are proven to have the intelligence similar to a 2-3 year old HUMAN CHILD! If you neglect it and leave it in the cage with no stimulation, they’re going to scream like a human baby. This high intelligence often leads to a fragile psyche - without mental stimulation, they easily become psychotic or depressed. Oftentimes, parrots in the store are just a couple generations from their wild counterparts; they have an intense need for social interaction and a stimulating environment. Why would people stick them in a cage and expect them to squawk “Hello! Polly wanna cracker?” and sit there being dumb and pretty? Would you cage a dog or cat and expect it to behave and be happy for 50+ years? The story I always hear is “I hate parrots, my grandma had a parrot and it was evil!” I hope this post sheds some light on the complex nature of the parrot psyche. It infuriates me when I speak to someone who assumes parrots are just ‘dumb birds’.

Serge Najjar aka Serjios (Lebanon)

"It is not about what you see but how you see it", says Serge Najjar. More known as Serjios, the artist-photographer from Beirut has a stunning collection of architectural shots, playing with light, shadow, lines and geometry. Driven by the the concept of urban living, Serjios studies the relationships between the architecture and people who live in. Serjios also has a gorgeous black and white collection, to be discovered here.

© All images courtesy of the artist