Rare cockatoos stolen from Bristol Zoo found
A pair of rare breeding cockatoos stolen from Bristol Zoo have been found at a house in Southmead.
The two red-vented cockatoos - some of the world's rarest birds - were take from premises operated by the zoo in Greater Bristol on Wednesday night.
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They were found after the zoo issued an urgent appeal for them to be returned.
Police investigations are continuing to establish exactly how they came to be in the Southmead house.
No one has been arrested.
The pair were being kept away from visitors at the zoo in the hope that it would encourage them to breed.
The zoo refused to reveal where the birds where taken from to protect other animals which were also housed at the same location.
The species originate from the Philippines and are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The birds, a male and a female, were two of six red-vented cockatoos re-homed at Bristol Zoo in 2004 after being confiscated by customs.
All birds are micro chipped and have identification rings. The remaining four birds were moved to another site.
Populations of red-vented cockatoos have decreased dramatically in the wild due to loss of habitat and illegal trapping for the cage-bird trade.
They are among the rarest birds in the world. About 1,000 are thought to be left in the wild.
Anyone with information about the theft should contact Staple Hill Police Station on 0845 456 7000.
2 Comments
by Justin Clifton, Just in Clifton
Friday, January 09 2009, 4:40PM
“Steve, you are half right, there was a rumpus that night caused by penguins. The cockatoos were assisted in their escape by half a dozen macaws (all male), who, it's believed, belong to a Parrot Military Organisation (PRO). Their was a similar occurance in Copenhagen zoo just recently.”
by Steve, Isle of Parrots.
Friday, January 09 2009, 4:23PM
“We can all now sleep safely in the knowledge that this breeding pair (male and female!) will be back with their [cell] cage mates. I have read up about this breed and found that they are very very intelligent, escaping in frosty conditions they knew that their camouflage would serve them well. The pre-planned rumpus caused by the zoo's penguin population also helped as a distraction. Their radar was a bit astray as they meant to fly south for the winter and not Southmead.”