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FRANKFORT, Ind. — A large aviary at a park in Frankfort says nine of their exotic birds were stolen last weekend and they fear they may never see them again.
The thieves came and took four macaws, three Amazon parrots, an African grey parrot, and an African ringneck parrot. All of those birds together are worth roughly $30,000. Workers at the Frankfort Aviary say they believe the culprits intend to sell the birds on the black market.
“I absolutely think they knew what they were doing,” said Joel Tatum, who is the Frankfort Park Superintendent, on WISH-TV. “They cut a hole in a specific spot so it was close to the cages of the specific birds that they took, and they took all the expensive birds we have and left all the others.”
One of the stolen birds is 50 years old, and the stress of being moved could be harmful. He said they also have a specialized diet that if it is disrupted could also be harmful to the birds.
The aviary has been around for 32 years and is one of the largest of its kind in Indiana. It is run mostly by donations.
Police investigating the heist say they have a vehicle of interest, but they don’t have much else to go on as they try to find the birds.
