6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY DECEMBER 26, 2024-JANUARY 1, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com 831 Alex Kjellgren, Seaside’s animal control officer, didn’t necessarily have adopting an African grey parrot on his bingo card when he reported to work Oct. 7, nor did Seaside Police Chief Nick Borges, when he woke up that day, expect to have a new, honorary member of his staff, whose name is Jazzy. But that’s how it played out, as an elderly Seaside resident, who had six birds in his care, had to move out of state to receive hospice care. Kjellgren had visited the resident’s home previously after a neighbor voiced concerns about the state of the shed in the backyard, as it pertained to the birds’ health. In his initial visit to the shed, Kjellgren says, the conditions for the birds—three African greys, a cockatoo, macaw and eclectus parrot—were “not ideal,” and he informed their caretaker that the conditions needed to be remediated immediately, or the birds would have to be taken. In part, the problem was that all the shells on the ground were inducing an infestation of mice and rats. But the caretaker was unable to find someone willing to clean up the mess, so around five days later, Kjellgren took possession of the birds—three were going to be shipped out of state to their owner, one was going to go to the caretaker, another to a friend who’s a veterinarian, and the remaining African grey, Jazzy, Kjellgren adopted himself. Shortly thereafter, when Kjellgren put a tub of water next to Jazzy in order to bathe her, the bird said, “Oh shiiitt.” Kjellgren adds, “I quickly got my 3-yearold daughter out of the room.” African grey parrots are among the smartest birds, he says, and can be trained to do and ask for things, but he says most of the sounds they make are mimicry. In Jazzy’s case, those often included saying shit, crap, and according to Kjellgren’s wife, even dropping the f-bomb one time. And another sound she often makes, Kjellgren says, “is the stereotypical sound of an old person sitting down.” These days, Jazzy often accompanies Kjellgren to the office, which in his case is inside the Seaside Police Department, where she shuffles atop the cubicle partitions in the records department and drops the occasional swear word, much to the delight of employees. Borges, Seaside’s police chief, says Seaside’s had some great animal control officers in the past, but that with Kjellgren—who started in March 2022—“We really struck gold with this guy,” calling him a mix of Steve Irwin and Ace Ventura. He adds that they only bring Jazzy out to the records department—which can be within earshot of visitors coming to the front desk with an inquiry—when “she’s in a good mood.” Jazzy often repeats things coming across the police radio, Borges adds. “She’s a smarty pants.” On Dec. 5, during an afternoon visit to Seaside PD, Jazzy is reserved. Not only will she not be coaxed to curse, she doesn’t even utter a sound—perhaps she’s stage-shy—but she’s perfectly happy to be held and have her head petted. When touching base with Borges inside his office, he’s visibly amused by the new addition to his staff. He brings up the time when, in 2015, actor Will Ferrell, while promoting a movie he starred in, Get Hard, appeared on Late Night With Conan O’Brien with a cockatoo on his shoulder. O’Brien, after asking Ferrell how he was doing, then noted there was a bird on Ferrell’s shoulder. Ferrell, playing it straight, said, “You know Conan, I’m happy to go on your show, and I’m happy to talk about the movie…and I’m happy to talk about anything. But I don’t want to talk about my personal life.” Borges says he’s jokingly contemplated employing that same bit when entering a serious meeting, arriving with Jazzy on his shoulder, and when someone asks about her, he’d say, “I don’t want to talk about my personal life.” Just a few minutes later, Kjellgren puts Jazzy atop the partitions in the records department, where she starts shuffling about, back in her element and soon to be out of the eye of the media. Unfortunately, despite repeated inquiries, Jazzy declined to comment for this story. Bird With Words Seaside’s police department has a new member— an African grey parrot with a penchant for cursing. By David Schmalz Jazzy the parrot sits atop Seaside Animal Control Officer Alex Kjellgren’s shoulder. Kjellgren adopted the potty-mouthed bird after rescuing her from a home infested with rats and mice. “I quickly got my 3-year-old daughter out of the room.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE DANIEL DREIFUSS ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP LUNCHEON CELEBRATING OUR MEMBERS! FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2025 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM • HYATT REGENCY $85/MEMBERS • $100/PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS KEYNOTE SPEAKER: SECRETARY PANETTA GET TICKETS! VISIT WWW.MONTEREYCHAMBER.COM SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE Join us in celebrating MPCC member milestones. Guests will enjoy networking, a three course lunch and Keynote Speaker Secretary Leon Panetta. Presented by
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