In Australia, the fate of cockatoo Mickey stirred emotions for weeks. The animal lived in a supermarket near Sydney for a month and was unable to free itself. Since all attempts to catch the bird failed, animal lovers feared the worst. But then the all-clear was given.
Four weeks ago, Mickey got lost in a branch of the Australian chain Coles in Campbelltown, southwest of Sydney. The white bird had flown through the loading dock. Since the ceilings in the building are high, all attempts to catch them initially failed. The survival of Mickey, as the cockatoo was quickly named, was ensured by the abundance of food in the supermarket that the parrot could help himself to. In addition, many customers left rolls and pieces of bread at the doors, it was said.
Sydney: Cockatoo Mickey in the supermarket doesn’t fall into traps
However, this was not species-appropriate food for the bird, which eats fruits and seeds in the wild. In addition, Mickey lived in constant light for over four weeks, which may also have harmed his health. Although water was provided to the bird at night, the Nutrition not good, as animal rights activists noted.
Mickey didn’t fall into the traps set up either. “As there is plenty of food available to the bird at Coles and in the food court, it is not possible to lure it into a cage with food,” it said in a statement of the Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service (WIRES). A tame female cockatoo was then supposed to lure Mickey into a trap – unsuccessfully. Tranquilizer darts would also be too dangerous as the bird could fall from a great height and injure itself.
A solution seemed difficult. In the meantime, rumors circulated on social media that Mickey was about to be shot down. Animal lovers were outraged.
Eventually even politicians got involved and denied these reports. New South Wales Environment Minister Penny Sharpe assured on Tuesday that the bird would “not be shot.” The minister said she had directed the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to work with Coles and the animal rights activists involved to save Mickey.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns also said, according to the Guardian: “We don’t want to shoot wildlife in our state.” Everything will be done to free the cockatoo.
In the meantime, enforcement has been reported: As the station “7 News Australia” reports, Mickey was finally caught on Tuesday afternoon. The cockatoo is healthy, a Campelltown city government official said. Mickey was handed over to animal welfare and will be examined again by experts. He will then be released as quickly as possible. Minister Sharpe thanked everyone involved for the successful completion of the campaign.
