Amid global economic crisis Treasury No2 Danny Alexander speaks up for... a parrot

AS the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander's job is to ensure the judicious use of the nation's pennies but he still has time to keep an eye on a polly. When not assisting with the arduous task of cutting the national debt, the Scottish MP has taken to assisting in the plight of a parrot called Elmo.

While John Cleese in the famous Monty Python's Flying Circus dead parrot sketch was perturbed that was his Norwegian Blue was no more, had ceased to be and was, in fact, an ex-parrot, the Congo African Grey in question is very much alive, just in the wrong country, according to Mr Alexander's constituent.

Dawn Plummer, 41, bought Elmo while working as a missionary in Nigeria, but despite the British government's approval, she was prevented from flying home with her feathered friend. Under the current law in Nigeria, the parrot should not have been sold to her in the first place.

Since her return, Ms Plummer, who lives with her mother in Culloden, has launched a Facebook campaign and has written to various official departments in Nigeria and in Britain in a bid to be reunited with Elmo, who is in the care of a Nigerian friend.

However, Ms Plummer said she has now received a letter from Mr Alexander saying he will take up her case.

Dawn said: "This is a small breakthrough. Mr Alexander says he has written to James Paice, who is the minister of state at agriculture and food. So far this is the best I have had. Because these parrots are on the endangered species list, I need an export permit from Nigeria before applying for a import permit to allow him into the UK.

"However, according to Nigerian law, I should not have been able to buy Elmo as it is against the law for these parrots to be caught, bought or sold unless they are born in captivity. The laws make no sense as they are doing nothing to stop people catching them in the wild or selling them. There doesn't seem to be anywhere these animals are born in captivity. I was told to leave him in a wildlife park."

Instead, Ms Plummer's neighbour in Nigeria has taken Elmo in until such time as he can be legally brought to Scotland.

Ms Plummer said: "I miss him. He was really good company. He used to stay outside in a cage during the day, and when I got home from work, he would come out and sit in the house with me. He used to sleep on the curtain rail in my bedroom and would let me know he was ready for bed by going into the hall and sitting on the bookcase next to the bedroom. He was like a little person and a fantastic companion."

In the parrot sketch, John Cleese's Eric Praline had little option but to return his Norwegian Blue after discovering that it had not been "resting" as he had been told, but was dead and had been nailed to the perch.Ms Plummer is now hopeful that her local MP will ensure a happier ending.

Yesterday Mr Alexander, Lib Dem MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, said that he had contacted his fellow ministers in order to offer what assistance he could to Ms Plummer.

He said: "I was sorry to learn of Ms Plummer's situation, and I am making enquiries with UK ministers to establish whether there is anything that can be done. There are good reasons why it is not normally possible to export endangered species from one country to another, unless the animal concerned has been bred in captivity.

"It is very regrettable that populations of rare wild animals are still hunted for a range of uses. It would clearly be much better if the hunting itself and the trade within the animals' country of origin could be stamped out.

"Equally, preventing international movement of endangered species is a powerful way of limiting the market and the financial rewards which it brings. It is very difficult to make exceptions without opening the floodgates."