It is not unusal to write an obituary when a great scientist passes away. It is much more unusual to do so when a lab animal does so. But when that animal is not just an experimental subject, but also a friend, colleague, teacher and collaborator, than the species boundaries lose importance. And Alex, the famous African Grey Parrot, was just that, and more, to Irene Pepperberg and to the entire field of cognitive ethology. He died yesterday, unexpectedly, at the age of 31 (about half the normal life expectancy for the species) and he will be sorely missed. You can send donations, that will assure the research goes on with Alex's younger buddies Griffin and Wart, to the Alex Foundation.
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I am indentured to two of Alex's tribe, whom I love without qualification. It was Irene's extraordinary explorations with Alex that finally and utterly demolished the flimsy conventional wisdom about our fellow species in my mind. Living with CAGs has convinced me that they are sentient beings, deeply emotional, and worse, emotionally fragile.
My breaking heart goes out to Irene, her lab, and all who dealt with this amazing emissary from the elder tribes.