The Alex Foundation

I recently had the opportunity to meet Dr. Irene Pepperberg, the founder of the Alex Foundation. This lady was very gracious and generous with her time as well as knowledge. Her calm nature and matter of fact way of speaking left no doubt in my mind that the founder of the Alex Foundation is a true pioneer with strong beliefs and data to back up her work in this so very fascinating path of aviculture. The Alex Foundation examines the intelligence of African Grey parrots and how they learn, and also promotes awareness of parrot intelligence in order to save endangered species and their habitat. Dr. Pepperberg informed me that her work relied on grants from the National Science Foundation, which does not cover costs like veterinary services. Funding has been cut by 20% and to cover expenses, Dr. Pepperberg created the Alex Foundation.

Dr. Pepperberg gave me a little history about Alex, the African Grey parrot she works with, and some personal history about herself which I would like to share with other Aviculturists.

Dr. Pepperberg's interest in studying parrot intelligence formally began in 1973, when, while working on her doctorate in chemistry, she would relax in the evenings by watching the television science series, Nova. The programs that really intrigued Irene dealt with research on communication between humans and dolphins and the teaching of chimpanzees to use sign language. It occurred to Irene that no one was studying parrots and their intellect. Dr. Pepperberg wanted to be able to show that intelligence is not limited to chimpanzees and dolphins, but can be demonstrated in birds as well.

Alex was purchased in a pet store in June of 1977. Since then, Alex has demonstrated his ability to distinguish between colors and shapes. He knows the difference between bigger and smaller, same and different, and speaks fluent, if limited, English, to name just a few of his abilities. Although he has two sessions in the morning and two in the evening, Alex is not treated as a "lab rat", but rather a well-respected member of the faculty. His constant companionship with the mere mortals around him keep him thoroughly content throughout the day. Alex is on the Harrison diet, which is organically grown. Alex is a psychological feather plucker and has been since the first day Dr. Pepperberg saw him in the pet store. She has tried many methods to stop this behavior and is currently administering a herbal mixture, which has slowed the feather picking problem. He is given a variety of toys, but really prefers to play with the items used in his training sessions.

Dr. Pepperberg is currently working with Alex on his abilities to distinguish "middleness", which is the ability to pick out an object which is not bigger or smaller but middle-sized. Alex is also learning phonics, which is the method of teaching beginners to read and pronounce words by learning the phonic value of letters, letter groups, and especially syllables. Overall, Dr. Pepperberg has achieved impressive results and her techniques have also shown some success when applied to teaching developmentally-delayed children.

Dr. Pepperberg is currently working with two baby African Grey parrots. According to Dr. Pepperberg, it is apparent in Alex's behavior that he is not happy with the new additions, and displays a level of jealousy which has slowed down his learning.

The Alex Foundation is operated by Dr. Pepperberg. There are three trustees: Chris Davis, bird behaviorist; Susan Brown, avian veterinarian, and Diana Reiss, who is currently doing research on communication and intelligence in dolphins. The research has already suffered from cuts in government funding, and given the current need to reduce the federal deficit, more cuts are likely. Your TAX EXEMPT donation will help cover the costs of student salaries, veterinary bills, food and supplies. Dr. Pepperberg has released an audio tape in which she discusses training techniques and data on her work with Alex. The cost of the tape is $10.00 of which half the profit is donated to the Alex Foundation. To order the tape call 818-285-0173.

Your help is badly needed to further the work of Dr. Pepperberg. Donations of any amount will be invaluable to the advancement of Dr. Pepperberg's contribution to the knowledge of aviculture, and to higher education. Make donations payable to the Alex Foundation; checks should be mailed to Dr. Irene Pepperberg, University of Arizona, College of Arts and Sciences-Faculty of Science, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tucson, AZ 85721.

PLEASE NOTE: TROPICAL TREASURES believes so strongly in this research that we are donating all profits from our Christmas 1993 Gift Selections to the Alex Foundation. For more information, write to Tropical Treasures.