Community service for man who attacked parrot

A man who attacked his pet macaw, breaking its beak and leg, must complete 120 days of community service and take anger management classes, a judge ruled.

Anthony James Ellis, 53, had been sentenced to 120 days in jail but Orange County Superior Court Judge Susanne Shaw said yesterday she would allow him to complete the sentence as community service.

Witnesses testified that Ellis punched the bird – named Johnny – and slammed its head against the deck of his boat outside the Newport Harbour Elks Lodge, where the parrot was the mascot.

The judge also ruled that Ellis must pay $3,577.26 (€2,979.31) in restitution for surgery and care of the bird and cannot have pets or consume alcohol during three years of probation.

Ellis was convicted April 27 of felony animal cruelty and abuse of an animal.

Ellis testified that the bird, which he had owned for 11 years, was injured after it bit him on the arm and he fell down, and that witnesses outside the lodge misunderstood what they saw.

The parrot survived the March 2003 attack and was adopted by an animal care agency.