A life with Alex

Finally the DVD arrived this week and this afternoon I viewed the dvd... wonderful. This grey parrot was the best, most intelligent and funniest african grey! I was very priveliged to meet dr. Pepperberg in person several times.. in the USA but also in the Netherlands and in October 2009 I was in the lab at the Brandeis University in Waltham/Boston!
http://www.lifewithalexmovie.com/

About Alex
One of the most famous African Grey parrots in history, Alex pioneered new avenues in avian intelligence. He possessed more than 100 vocal labels for different objects, actions, and colors, and could identify certain objects by their particular material. He could count object sets up to the total number six and was working on seven and eight. Alex exhibited math skills that were considered advanced in animal intelligence, developing his own 'zero-like'? concept in addition to being able to infer the connection between written numerals, objects sets, and the vocalization of the number. Alex was learning to read the sounds of various letters and had a concept of phonemes, the sounds that make up words.
Alex's personality was very evident in his everyday life. He was 'in charge' of his home and relished ordering 'his'? humans to perform various tasks for him. He also acted as a coach and cheerleader to his fellow birds, Wart and Griffin, alternately encouraging or admonishing them during their lessons.
Purchased from a pet store at the age of 12-13 months in June of 1977, Alex came from humble beginnings. His accomplishments proved that African Grey parrots have an intelligence far beyond what was thought before his decades-long work with Dr. Pepperberg. On September 6, 2007, at the age of 31, Alex passed away of a sudden heart arrhythmia.
He will always be missed.

Dr. Irene Pepperberg
Dr. Irene M. Pepperberg is currently a Adjunct Associate professor at Brandeis University in Massachusetts and a Research Associate and lecturer at Harvard University. Her work has been featured in major newspapers and magazines in the United States, Europe, and Asia, as well as on television.
Her book, The Alex Studies, describing over 20 years of peer-reviewed experiments on Grey parrots, received favorable mention from many publications, including the New York Times and Science. Her memoir, Alex & Me, was a New York Times bestseller. She has presented her findings nationally and internationally at universities and scientific congresses, often as a keynote or plenary speaker, and has published numerous journal articles, reviews, and book chapters.
Dr. Pepperberg is President of The Alex Foundation, a not-for-profit organization which supports Pepperberg's and her team's research. More information about The Alex Foundation and Dr. Pepperberg can be found at their website, AlexFoundation.org.