This is the moment a young boy’s tender attempt to give his dead budgie a proper burial is ruined when his pet dog snatches the bird’s body from its tiny grave and runs off with it.
Renato Barrera, 13, wanted to give his pet budgie Chimuelo a proper send-off after it passed away at his home in the town of San Javier in the central Chilean region of Maule.
So he dug a small hole in his garden and sang an improvised version of ‘Ave Maria’ with the lyrics “Chimuelo rest in peace” before lying the parrot’s body in the grave.
Unfortunately, before he was able to cover the bird with soil, his pet dog Cleo leapt in, grabbed its body in its mouth and ran off with it.
Renato caught up with Cleo but the dog did not want to release the bird and it was some time before the teenager was able to recover it.
Finally, with another member of the family restraining the dog, Renato was able to complete the funeral by putting Chimuelo’s body back in the grave he had dug and covering it with soil.
The video, filmed by Renato’s brother, was later posted on social media and video-sharing platforms where most viewers saw the funny side of the story.
Renato said: “I read the comments and I think it is all positive. People laugh but they are not being nasty, it is all good.”
He said that he had wanted to give Chimuelo a proper funeral as he felt he had developed a real bond with the bird.
Renato added: “We found Chimuelo in a pet shop. It was very small and I saw that other parrots were attacking it.
“After we bought it, I realised it was special. It had a genetic malformation and the wings never grew so that it could fly.
“That is why I took care of it so well so that it was not picked on anymore. We put it in a cage on its own where it could live in peace.”
Netizen ‘Jessica Rodriguez Purcell’ said: “I’m sad for Renato, it is terrible to lose a friend. But it gives me hope in humanity that this guy understands the sense of friendship and the love for our small brothers. Rest in peace, Chimuelo.”
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Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
