Retired butcher Bill Wasson from Glenolden makes pretty regular trips to the Wawa on MacDade Ave. in Folsom. What makes his visits unique is the pet cockatoo he brings along.
Tiki visits the Wawa almost every day and it’s now become a cherished ritual at the Wawa store for eight years, writes Madeleine Wright for CBS News Philadelphia.
“He loves people and he’s very independent,” Wasson said. “He talks when he feels like it.”
Wasson gets Tiki out of the house so he’s not always cooped up in a cage
The 28-year-old cockatoo, who could live another 22 years, is a particular hit with kids.
“He’s like my son,” Wasson said. “You know, that’s what he thinks, I’m his dad.”
Tiki waits outside while Wasson grabs a paper and coffee. That’s when people stop and talk to the bird, and take photos.
Sometimes for a change of scenery, Wasson and Tiki hit up the Glenolden Wawa.
Lauryn Hughes, general manager of the Folsom Wawa, considers Tiki a Delco legend.
“It’s a Delco thing, for sure,” Hughes said. “So tell me you’re from Delco without telling me you’re from Delco. You see the bird and you know where you are.”
Read more about Bill Wasson and Tiki at CBS Philadelphia News.
