Advocate Sunil Singh said he has installed hoardings at about 10 prominent locations across Agra. (Photo Credit: Special Arrangement)An Agra-based lawyer’s search for his missing male pet parrot has drawn an extraordinary public response, with nearly 1,000 people contacting him after he announced a Rs 50,000 reward for information leading to the bird’s safe return. Five days after the parrot disappeared, however, none of the leads has proved genuine.The emotional appeal has prompted people from different places to reach out, while in several instances, people even arrived at the lawyer’s home carrying parrots they claimed were the missing bird. Each claim, however, was ruled out after the bird was identified as not being his beloved pet.“Our parrot, whom we call Mau, has distinctive black markings on its wings and on the lower part of its beak. I ask anyone who believes they have found the bird to first send us its photographs and videos so that we can verify its identity,” said Sunil Singh, the Agra-based lawyer.“Many people have sent us pictures and videos of parrots, and some have even come to our home carrying birds they claimed were Mau. But after checking each one carefully, none turned out to be our parrot,” he added.Sunil Singh said Mau was much more than a pet and had become an inseparable part of the family after living with them for several months.“He is like a member of our family. Since Mau went missing, my wife, Mamta Singh, my children, and everyone at home have been deeply distressed. Seeing how heartbroken they were, I announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for anyone who could help bring him back safely,” Singh said.Costly campaignThe search has since turned into a costly and emotional campaign. Sunil Singh said he has spent nearly Rs 1 lakh trying to trace the missing bird, including installing hoardings at about 10 prominent locations across Agra. Thousands of pamphlets have also been distributed, and posters put up across the city in the hope that someone will recognise Mau and help reunite the bird with the family.Story continues below this adSunil Singh said, “We simply want Mau to return home safely.”The family’s appeal has generated an overwhelming response, with Singh saying he has received calls from across India from people claiming to have spotted – or even found – Mau. The calls have come from places as far apart as Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana, Noida, Gujarat, Punjab, Delhi, and Nashik, with each caller insisting that the missing parrot was in their possession or had been seen nearby.“Every time the phone rings, we hope it will be the call that brings Mau home,” Sunil Singh said. “But every lead so far has ended in disappointment.”Recalling how Mau became part of the family, Sunil Singh said he found the parrot on March 15 last year while returning home.Story continues below this ad“It was just a tiny chick, barely three days old, lying beneath a tree. I brought it home, and we raised it ourselves,” the lawyer remarked.Over the months, the bird became deeply attached to the family. “Mau learned to call me and my two children, Abhinav and Shristi, by our names. It even called my wife ‘Mumma’. It wasn’t just a pet – it had become a member of our family,” he said.Also Read | A veterinarian explains why more people are scared of dogs than catsSunil Singh said Mau went missing on July 13 after being startled by a sudden loud noise.“My wife was sitting by the window with Mau perched on her shoulder when there was a loud sound from a wooden staircase nearby. Frightened by the noise, Mau suddenly flew away. We have been searching for it ever since,” he said.