‘We Named Him Howie Mandel’: Bald, Vocal Cockatiel Found on Cecil Place

A cockatiel found in rough shape in New Canaan is in the care of an animal hospital and will be adopted by a staff member there if unclaimed, officials say. The bird, believed to be male, was found wandering out of an open garage on Cecil Place by homeowners one morning late last week after they were alerted to the cockatiel’s presence by unusual chirping noises, according to Officer Allyson Halm, head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section. “We named him ‘Howie Mandel’ because he is bald and very vocal,” Halm said. It isn’t clear whether someone “dumped” the cockatiel or if he escaped from his home. The bird was thin and is missing feathers on the back of his head, she said.

New Canaan Police, Wilton Vet Aid Mead Park Snapping Turtle with Fishhook Caught in Its Mouth

New Canaan Police and a Wilton-based veterinary group this weekend worked together to ensure the safety of a large snapping turtle at Mead Pond that had a fishhook caught in its mouth. At about 12:40 p.m. on Saturday, the police department’s Animal Control section received a flurry of calls regarding a large snapping turtle in the middle of Richmond Hill Road, according to Officer Diane Apicelli. Arriving, Apicelli said she found a crowd gathering around a 33-pound snapping turtle with an 18-inch long shell. Police Officer Dave Rivera was directing motor vehicle traffic around the turtle that clearly had a fishing lure caught in its mouth, according to Apicelli, of the Animal Control section. She crated the turtle and transported the reptile to South Wilton Veterinary Group, which “has a wonderful ‘exotic animal’ veterinarian on staff,” Apicelli said.