Who's a pretty boy? Parrot-obsessed man, 56, has his EARS cut off to look more like his pets (... and now he wants to turn his nose into a beak)

  • Ted Richards, 56, went through a six hour operation to get his parrot look
  • He also has 110 tattoos, 150 piercings and magnets in his hands 
  • A surgeon has slammed the operation and said he was 'horrified' by it
  • WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

By MailOnline Reporter

Published: | Updated:

A man obsessed with looking like a parrot endured a six-hour operation to cut off his ears and now he wants to turn nose into a beak.

Ted Richards, 56, from Hartcliffe in Bristol, gave his ears to a friend who he said would 'appreciate them' and is now planning his next date under the operating table.

Ted, who has 110 tattoos, 50 piercings and a split tongue, is happy to put his body on the line as a visual tribute to his beloved parrots Ellie, Teaka, Timneh, Jake and Bubi.

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Ted Richards, 56, from Hartcliffe, Bristol, spent six-hours under the surgeons knife to look like his pet parrots
Ted Richards, who had his ears cut off to look like his parrots, with his pet Harlequin Macaw Teaka

Ted Richards cut off his ears to look more like his parrots, right, he is pictured with his Harlequin Macaw Teaka

Extreme art: Ted Richards said he was 'so happy it's unreal' with his new look after having his ears removed

Extreme art: Ted Richards said he was 'so happy it's unreal' with his new look after having his ears removed

Reflecting on his newly shaped head, he said: 'I think it looks really great. I love it. It's the best thing that has happened to me.

'I am so happy it's unreal, I can't stop looking in the mirror.

'I've done it because I want to look like my parrots as much as possible.'

 'I've had my hair long for so many years my ears have been covered up.

'I have to admit I did used to get teased at school about my ears but that's not the reason I've had it done.' 

While to many cutting off your ears would seem unthinkable the retired shoe factory worker has a fondness for extreme body art.

His other forms of decoration include a peace sign on his left shoulder, which was branded on with a 750C hot iron, and two magnets implanted in his hands.

A metal bar (pictured) was implanted in ted's head, above his stitches, so that he could wear his glasses after the surgery
The stitches left on the side of Ted's head after his ears were removed

Ouch: The stitches left on Ted Richards' head after he had his ears removed by a long surgerical proceedure

Some spectacle: To stop his glasses falling off his head he has had small metal pins inserted

Some spectacle: To stop his glasses falling off his head he has had small metal pins inserted

Animal lover Ted shares his home with his parrots, his South American iguana Iggy and his pitbull Candy.

He scours the internet looking for new procedures and says his facial transformation is for his 'babies' - Ellie, a green winged macaw, and Teaka, a harlequin macaw. 

Ted is over the moon about his new look but one problem he has faced is keeping his glasses in place.

Ted, who has 110 tattoos, 50 piercings and a split tongue, is pictured with his girlfriend Suzannah Vincent

Ted, who has 110 tattoos, 50 piercings and a split tongue, is pictured with his girlfriend Suzannah Vincent

Mr Richards before his significant body modification; he wore his hair long for so long that his ears have always been covered up
How do you like me now? Mr Richards post-surgery, showing off his tattoos and body modifications

Pre-parrot days: Mr Richards, pictured left before his significant body modification; he wore his hair long for so long that his ears have always been covered up; pictured right, posing with his new look

CAN YOU HEAR WITHOUT YOUR EARS? 

People who lose their outer ears – or cut them off to look like parrots – do not lose the ability to hear.

But the external ears – or pinna – are designed to gather sound waves that fall on them, amplify the waves and then focus them on to the ear drum via the ear canal.

Human ears can only hear frequencies ranging between 20 Hz – 20 kHz. Most human speech falls in the range of 2kHz to 4kHz. Outer ears can help boost frequencies in this range up to 100 times.

If you lose your ear canal however, there is no way to hear without some sort of device. 

To stop his specs falling off his head he has had small metal pins added to the side of his head.

He said:'I went to the supermarket the other day and when I went in I said 'blimey it's so windy out there it blew my ears off and everybody had a chuckle.

'There's no doubt that when they made me they broke the mould.

'But seriously, I love the fact that I'm unique and I have always wanted to be different.' 

The practice of removing someone's ears was historically done as an act of physical punishment in England called 'cropping.'

Marc Pacifico, a consultant plastic surgeon and member of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, slammed the surgery.

He said: 'I am absolutely horrified to learn that someone has voluntarily put themselves forward for this to be done and possibly more so that he found somebody to actually carry it out. 

After losing his ears, Ted's specs kept falling off so he put in two metal bars to stop this from happening

After losing his ears, Ted's specs kept falling off so he put in two metal bars to stop this from happening

Unique: Ted said they 'broke the mould' when they made him and is planning his next date under the knife

Unique: Ted said they 'broke the mould' when they made him and is planning his next date under the knife

'The sad truth of life though is that if you want something badly enough you will eventually find someone willing to do it.

'I would like to think whoever did this is not medically qualified because that would call into judgement their ethics and morals.

'As an accredited plastic surgeon you have to have a great sense of moral and ethical responsibility.

'I can only assume the ethical code and moral compass of whoever did this does not.' 

 

 

 

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