Tut the parrot will be remembered as a yapper. From mimicking people to whistling television show tunes, he found a way to make people laugh.
For Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo members and visitors, Tut was a goofy bird who kept visitors educated and interested in avians. At 27 years old, the African grey parrot passed away due to a preexisting heart condition and thyroid mass Sept. 29.
Tut was donated to the teaching zoo from a private donor in 2012 as an ambassador animal. That meant he was involved in the zoo’s education program and saw more interactions with guests than other animals did. His heart condition and thyroid mass were identified in 2019, but the health issues didn’t cause visible discomfort until a few weeks before his death.
Remembering a legend
Tut was a “spunky” bird, said 22-year-old Allison Brady, who trained the parrot while taking the college’s Zoo Animal Technology program last year.
The parrot’s personality shone through his whistling, mimicking and love of food.
“He used to take his broccoli when we would put it in his bowl, and he would take it out and throw it on the ground,” Brady said. “He was just very sassy.”
Tut was very vocal, Brady said, and mimicked people’s voices. He often whistled the theme song from the 1960s sitcom “The Andy Griffith Show.”
“He would cat-call everybody,” Brady said. “So if you walked past him and you didn’t acknowledge him, he would make sure that he would make a point to talk to you.”
Brady trained Tut using a series of buttons representing different foods and activities. Tut could press the buttons to let Brady know if he was in the mood to eat, go for a walk or get some exercise.
“He loved to just press the sunflower seed button and peanuts,” Brady said. “That was his favorite thing.”
Jade Woodling, conservation education curator at the teaching zoo, said trainers observed unusual behavior from Tut leading up to his death, like holding his body in uncomfortable positions. Veterinarians discovered his heart condition and thyroid mass progressed after conducting several tests. Tut was humanely euthanized to prevent further discomfort, she said.
Educating the next generation
African grey parrots are an endangered species, Woodling said. The pet trade, in which species are illegally pulled from their homes in the wild to become people’s pets, contributes significantly to the issue.
The species is equated to having the same intelligence levels as a 3 to 5-year-old, Woodling said, making them attractive pets.
African grey parrots can learn to speak words and solve problems, Woodling said. The parrots are taken from their natural habitat in Africa and imported to foreign places for domestication, she said.
With Tut’s help, the teaching zoo taught families about species endangerment, animal conservation and ethical decision-making when picking household pets. He participated in the zoo’s education system in virtual and in-person sessions, she said, and he reacted well to human interaction.
Outside of his training, Tut enjoyed visiting Bryson, the zoo’s Visayan warty pig. At Tut’s request, his trainers would accompany the parrot to the pig’s habitat.
A graduate of Santa Fe’s zoo animal program, Woodling has watched Tut from the perspective of both student and educator. After she graduated, she returned as Tut’s training supervisor.
Some trainers who worked with Tut initially felt unsure about training a parrot, as working with birds was an unfamiliar experience. Tut’s outgoing personality and willingness to learn helped alleviate those uneasy feelings.
“What I see that’s really special is how many keepers who weren’t sure how they felt about birds,” Woodling said. “Tut helped us teach zookeepers to be comfortable around birds.”
Anika Anderson, a 26-year-old graduate of the college’s Zoo Animal Technology Program, trained Tut from December 2024 to August 2025. She said Tut went from knowing six button directions to learning 10 buttons.
“During training sessions, he was so eager to learn,” Anderson said. “Anytime I asked him for a new behavior, or we were working towards it, he would give me everything he had.”
Anderson also taught Tut to stand still during stethoscope checkups, making it easier to monitor his heart abnormalities. She ensured he was comfortable walking up to the stethoscope on his own before encouraging him to press his chest to the stethoscope. His intelligence and their trustful relationship helped move the training process along, Anderson said.
Tut thrived on human attention, she said, and he often attracted guests by whistling and singing.
“He was so smart that he had trained the guests to come back and look at him,” Anderson said.
Anderson described Tut as funny, intelligent, sweet and cunning. When Tut saw her, she said, he would respond by puffing up his feathers and shaking, signifying he liked her. When he was around trainers he did not like, his pupils constricted, signaling he might try to bite them.
Anderson and Tut had an exceptionally close relationship, she said, and she felt like she was almost a mother to him. When she found out about his passing, she cried.
“But when I heard why he had to go, I knew it was the right choice,” Anderson said.
Contact Leona Masangkay at lmasangkay@alligator.org. Follow them on X @leo_amasangkay.
Leona is a second-year journalism student and the Fall 2025 Santa Fe College reporter. They previously worked on the audience and growth team over the summer as a social media strategist. In their free time, Leona enjoys going to the gym, listening to music and watching Marvel movies.
