King George, the talking magpie, is missing

[Kadie]

Foul play suspected in bird's disappearance

Talking magpie King George has been gone since last week

By ROGER W. HOSKINS
last updated: October 16, 2007 06:46:49 AM


King George, the talking magpie, is missing. He disappeared last week from his west Modesto home.

Kathy Bankson rescued the bird when it was just a hatchling blown out of a nest on Bankson's ranch. Bankson suspects something foul may be afoot.

"I let him out (last Wednesday)," said Bankson. "I saw him at 8:30 and the neighbor across the street saw him last at 9 a.m. I let him out like I do every day, he was hanging around like he does every morning, but disappeared."

George has a vocabulary of several phrases and seems to use them at appropriate times. They included "Whatcha doing?" "Don't shoot me!" and "Bye-bye." He also barks like a dog and laughs. George also has a damaged right leg.

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Neighboring rancher Bart Honeycutt told Bankson that George had made this the most enjoyable summer in memory.

"We had just finished gathering the walnuts and I heard the magpies chattering in the trees," Honeycutt told Bankson before George went missing. "Then I heard this gibberish and I yelled out, 'Is that you George?' The reply came right back, 'Don't shoot me.' "

George's fame and loss has spread far and wide. Bankson's relatives in Napa and Fresno are saying prayers for the bird. So is former Sen. Bob Dole, a family friend, who knew Bankson's late son, Bo. "Mr. Dole ... said he hoped George would find his way home again," said Bankson.

more...
http://www.modbee.com/local/story/94441.html