[1] In December 2020, Victoria "Tori" Lacey and Dalton Mason purchased Apollo from Animal House Pet Center in Saint Petersburg, Florida, for $1,700.

[1] Since purchasing him, Tori and Dalton have not clipped Apollo's wings, allowing them to return to their natural form.

[2] Tori and Dalton purchased Apollo with the intent to train him based on Irene Pepperberg's model/rival technique, and document the process through YouTube videos on their channel "ApolloandFrens".

Their channel description says "Through showcasing the abilities and emotional intelligence of Apollo, we plan to pursue further legal rights for all parrots, much like those of dogs and cats.

Irene Pepperberg said the reward system is crucial, because it is the only way that students can make the direct connection between the object and the label that they have used.

This technique helped Pepperberg succeed with Alex where other scientists had failed in facilitating two-way communication with parrots.

[5] Although Tori and Dalton have partnered with some researchers at Eckerd College, they are more interested in Apollo's personal development than publishing his results in scientific journals.