BAZAKE VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Man forced depressed parrot to dance to Joy Division everyday for six months

A man who deliberately made his pet parrot Percy depressed by forcing it to dance to Decades by Joy Division every morning for six months to create social media video content has been criticised by animal welfare groups

The bird, which has now plucked over 70% of its own feathers out, was filmed by the man, who has not been named, every day for the six-month period.

The resulting videos, which have been viewed over 1.5 million times on YouTube, show the parrot looking increasingly dejected and bedraggled as the days go on. At the end of one video, the man walks into the frame and says: "There you go Percy, another day done. I hope you're happy now."

The League Against Inhumanity To Animals has said that the videos are "disturbing" and that the bird has clearly been "forced to do something that is against its nature".

A spokesperson for the organisation said: "This is a clear case of animal cruelty and we would urge anyone who has any information about the man in the video to contact us immediately."

The video has been widely shared on social media, with many people criticising the man for his treatment of the parrot. One user wrote: "This is so wrong on so many levels. The bird is clearly miserable and the man is just using it for his own gain. Disgusting."

Another said: "This is just sadistic. What kind of person gets pleasure from making an animal suffer like this?"

The man has not responded to the criticism and it is not clear what has happened to Percy since the final video was made.

Oscar Warbutton, a professor of animal psychology and torture at University College Borehamwood, said, "There's no denying that this man's actions were cruel and caused his pet parrot a great deal of distress. However, it's important to remember that, as with any type of animal abuse, there are often deeper psychological issues at play. In this case, it's possible that the man was using the bird as a way to vicariously experience the pain and suffering that he himself was going through.

"It's also worth noting that, while the parrot's plucking behaviour is certainly a sign of distress, it's not necessarily indicative of depression. Plucking is a common coping mechanism for birds who are experiencing stress or anxiety, and it's possible that the parrot was plucking its feathers as a way to deal with the trauma of being forced to dance to Joy Division every morning.

"If you suspect that an animal is being abused, it's important to contact the authorities immediately. Animal abuse is a serious crime, and perpetrators should be held accountable for their actions.

"Personally, I would throttle the man."

Joy Division were a seminal part of the post-punk landscape of British music in the late 1970s. Their singer Ian Curtis, who was prone to depression and obsessed with macabre imagery, infamously voted Conservative in the 1979 general election.