Farewell to ‘Kramer’

We’re saddened to share the passing of a flighted friend, ‘Kramer’ the Alexandrine parakeet, who passed away on April 1, 2023. The Animal Care, Health & Welfare team noticed a significant increase and effort to his breathing which prompted a visit to the Animal Health Centre for an examination. That exam revealed that Kramer was in severe heart failure with secondary complications arising from it. While he recovered from anesthesia, unfortunately his heart arrested shortly after recovery and he did not respond to resuscitation efforts.

Kramer joined the Wilder Institute’s Calgary Zoo family in August 2003 and spent the past two decades as a member of the zoo’s Program Animals. The life expectancy for Alexandrine parakeets in human care is 25-30 years. Though we don’t know Kramer’s exact age, he was a mature bird when he joined our Ambassador Animal program, and over the past year had developed degenerative issues, such as arthritis, associated with being a senior for his species.

As an ambassador for his species, Kramer has helped to educate thousands of students and campers over the years about the conservation plight of parrots and the responsibilities of exotic pet ownership. He will be dearly missed by his human caregivers and his habitat mate, eight-year-old Alexandrine parakeet ‘Newman’.

Alexandrine parakeet ‘Kramer’