Dancing bird garners worldwide attention

SCHERERVILLE, Ind.– An online video of pet cockatoo dancing to a Backstreet Boys song has a northwestern Indiana couple dealing with some worldwide attention.\nIrena and Chuck Schulz have more than 30 birds in their home, but the cockatoo, Snowball, is the star.\nWhenever they play the 1997 song “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back),” the 11-year-old medium sulfur-crested Eleonora cockatoo lifts his legs, squawks and bobs his head, flashing his bright yellow crest to the beat.\nTelevision programs “Inside Edition” and “The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet” have featured Snowball’s moves. The couple says people from around the world have contacted them after seeing the bird dancing on the video-sharing site YouTube or elsewhere.\nThe couple runs a rescue shelter for birds called Bird Lovers Only Rescue.\n“He makes a great spokesbird for the rescue,” Chuck \nSchulz said.\nSnowball joined the family a couple of months ago. The man who dropped him off brought a CD and said to watch \nSnowball’s reaction.\nIrena Schulz said she almost fainted at the sight of the bird dancing to the beat.\n“I’m thinking, ‘What on Earth is this? This is unreal,’” she said.\nIrene Schulz said most of their birds can be adopted to a good home, but not Snowball.\n“He’s my baby,” she said. “He will stay here and be loved.”\nSnowball’s video can be found at http://www.youtube.com.