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News Clips from Togo's 2004 border
drama
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/story.jsp?story=511246
Wed, March 17, 2004
Customs
crackers for parrot
By
TOM GODFREY, TORONTO SUN
A parrot that whistles the Star Spangled Banner and can't stop
watching CNN has been put behind bars and stopped from returning to
its U.S. home by Canada Customs. Four-year-old Togo, an endangered
African grey parrot with a vocabulary of 900 words, was seized two
weeks ago at the Wellesley Island crossing near Gananoque, its owner
Nancy Sillers, 47, of Oakville, said yesterday. She said she was
moving to the U.S. to marry her fiance, Bill Gorman, 46, of Keene,
N. H., when Togo was nabbed. "It's like losing a family member," she
said. "This is absolutely disgusting." BIRD RAISED IN U.S. She said
the $800 bird that was raised in Florida was brought into Canada
during a visit by Gorman last October. Togo also whistles the theme
from Bridge Over the River Kwai, Chinese opera, loves the Discovery
Channel and followed the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary on
CNN. Sillers said her wedding and move to the U.S. have been placed
on hold until Togo is returned. She said she was issued a $279
ticket for trafficking in an endangered species when Togo was seized
and turned over to Environment Canada.
Environment Canada spokesman
Dane Wesley said Togo is being held as a probe determines if there
was an export permit for it to be taken from Ontario.
Wed, March 17, 2004
Patriotic parrot in border
row
A parrot who whistles the Star
Spangled Banner and can't stop watching CNN has been put behind bars
and stopped from returning to its U.S. home by Canada Customs.
Four-year-old Togo, an endangered African grey parrot with a
vocabulary of 900 words, was seized two weeks ago at a border
crossing near Gananoque, Ont., his owner Nancy Sillers, said
yesterday.
The 47-year-old Oakville, Ont.,
woman said she was moving to the U.S. to marry her fiance, Bill
Gorman, 46, of Keene, New Hampshire, when Togo was nabbed.
"It's like losing a family
member," she said. "This is absolutely disgusting."
Sillers said the $800 bird that
was raised in Florida was brought into Canada during a visit by
Gorman last October.
Togo also whistles the Bridge
over the River Kwai and Chinese opera, loves the Discovery Channel
and followed the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary on CNN.
When Togo sees the Democratic
frontrunner he belts out, "Kerry, Kerry, Kerry." The names of other
U.S. politicians are sung out when they appear on TV.
Sillers said her wedding and
move to the U.S. have been placed on hold until Togo is returned.
"I am afraid for his health
because he has never been with other birds," she said. "Everything
is on hold until we get him back."
Sillers said she was issued a
$279 ticket for trafficking in an endangered species when Togo was
seized and the bird was turned over to Environment Canada.
"This is an American bird,"
Gorman said from New Hampshire yesterday. "They are holding our bird
hostage."
Togo can stop eating and start
pulling out his feathers when he's not with his owners, Gorman said.
Environment Canada spokesman
Dane Wesley said Togo is being held as a probe determines whether
there was an export permit for him to be taken from Ontario to the
U.S.
The parrot can be heard singing
the U.S. anthem on Togo's website at
http://www.lookinhere.com/togo/.
Togo a captive of law
By
TOM GODFREY
- Toronto Sun
Togo the anthem-singing
American grey parrot may soon be whistling Jailhouse Rock as he
languishes behind bars waiting for his owners to face the music. The
rare bird's owners said Togo is being treated worse than a terrorist
being held at Guantanamo Bay.
"Even terrorists are allowed to
have visitors in jail," Togo's owner, Bill Gorman, said from New
Hampshire yesterday. "We have not been allowed to see Togo for
almost a month."
The bird, which has a 900-word
vocabulary and can whistle the Star Spangled Banner, is being held
at a secret location and neither Gorman nor his Oakville fiance,
Nancy Sillers, are allowed to visit.
Sillers said an online petition
demanding Togo's release is being added to his Web site at
www.lookinhere.com, which is accepting donations for a Togo defence
fund.
Togo was seized March 1 at the
Wellesley Island crossing near Gananoque, as Sillers was crossing
the border to marry Gorman.
She said the $800 four-year-old
bird was raised in Florida and brought into Canada during a visit by
Gorman last October.
Environment Canada spokesman
Gary Colgan said Togo's owners did not have an export permit and may
face a charge of trafficking in an endangered species
http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20040402-064338-4355r.htm
Togo
to go ... nowhere
TORONTO, April 2 (UPI) --
Canadian officials have no intention of letting a notorious African
gray parrot return to his U.S. owners, the Toronto Sun reported
Friday.
Bill Gorman, 46, of New
Hampshire faces charges of trying to smuggle the bird out of Canada.
Florida-born Togo -- who loves
watching Larry King, can whistle the Star Spangled Banner and say
900 words -- was seized March 1 as co-owner Nancy Sillers, 47, was
driving into the United States at the Wellesley Island border
crossing.
She was on her way to marry
Gorman.
Togo has been held behind bars
at an undisclosed Canadian location for a month.
The couple is banned from
seeing 4-month-old Togo, or talking with him by phone, until court
this summer. Gorman has to drive from his home in Keene, N.H., to
Brockville, Ont., to attend court on June 1.
"The bird is being
discriminated against because he's African," Gorman said Thursday.
"I might have to get (high-profile U.S. lawyer) Johnnie Cochrane on
the case."
The story has a few errors to
note: 1. I was not trying to smuggle Togo, I did not know I needed a
permit and claimed him at the border. 2. Togo was traveling
with Bill not Nancy. 3. He may say 900 words but I can only
understand 300. 5. Togo was 4 years old not 4 months, I was in
Canada 4 months.
Listen to Togo's story on CBC
Radio in Real Audio
After Togo's release
Found on
http://www.cbc.ca/insite/AS_IT_HAPPENS_TORONTO/2004/4/16.html
http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0403/18/ltm.01.html
Aired March
18, 2004 - 08:30 ET CNN AMERICAN
MORNING
THIS IS A
RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE
UPDATED.
CAFFERTY: Time now for "The
Cafferty File." We begin with Togo, a 4-year-old endangered African
gray parrot who whistles "The Star Spangled Banner" and is addicted
to watching CNN.
HEMMER: Our kind of viewer.
CAFFERTY: I like Togo. However Togo is being held prisoner in
Canada. Togo's owner was moving from Canada to the U.S. to marry a
New Hampshire man. Says Togo was held at the border by customs
people to check an export permit. She says, quote, "It's like losing
a family member."
There's a Web side where Togo asks for donations and to get a good
lawyer to, quote, "sue the poop out of the bad guys."
(LAUGHTER)
CAFFERTY: Togo also learning how to...
MORE TO COME
2005 Parrots Calendar
Parrots 2005 Wall Calendar
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