Police pursuit of parrot plunderer

By Engelbert Schmidl
POLICE are seeking thieves that stole a rare bird worth more than $12,000 from Living Jungle Pet Warehouse in Dandenong last Friday night.
The bird named Ellie, a seven-year-old female macaw, was targeted in a burglary on the store between 5.30pm on Friday, 30 June and 8.30am Saturday, 1 July.
Police believe the thief or thieves gained entry by smashing the store’s glass roller door.
The macaw is a South American exotic bird readily identifiable by its bright blue and yellow feathers and large beak.
Living Jungle Pet Warehouse owner Geoff Andrew said he was concerned about Ellie’s health.
“She needs the proper diet of fruits and nuts and looking after,” he said.
He said Ellie had been living at the store for seven years and was much loved by staff.
Mr Andrew hoped those who had stolen the bird ‘think about its welfare.’
“We’re all pretty attached to her,” he said.
Mr Andrew believed that because Ellie was a female of breeding age, she would be in demand.
Living Jungle’s Caulfield store had another macaw stolen six months ago.
The stolen macaw is microchipped and has a leg ring identifier.
The bird’s theft is one more in a number of exotic bird thefts and attempted thefts in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs in the past two years.
Stuart Williamson, president of the Parrot Society of Australia, described the thefts as serious offences with punishments of up to $110,000 under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
He said the onus of proof for possession of an exotic bird like a macaw was with the person in possession.
“In theory, a black market shouldn’t exist,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Department of the Environment and Heritage, the Federal department responsible for the exotic bird trade, said that buyers should ensure sellers provided a genuine copy of relevant records to prove a bird’s legitimacy.
Police are urging anyone with information about the theft to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.