Search intensifies for missing Macaw parrot in Thiruvananthapuram; Five-member team formed

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A five-member team has been deployed to find the missing macaw parrot from the Thiruvananthapuram zoo. The team, led by zoo veterinary surgeon Dr. Nikesh Kiran, includes three supervisors and two keepers.

On Sunday, the team rummaged the city premises and even had a glimpse of the parrot at the Vellayambalam Observatory area, but couldn’t locate it. Macaws can fly very high, making it arduous to locate them. The missing parrot is one of the three birds that hatched at the zoo in 2022. Officials are certain that the bird would return as they can't find food naturally. In addition, there are 5 macaw birds at the zoo. The pair costs around Rupees four lakh in the market.

Authorities are planning to seek the help of the police to find the macaws. Zoo authorities are also hopeful that they will be able to find them by checking the cameras installed by the police. However, no complaint has been filed yet about the missing parrot.

The Macaw parrot and the grey jungle fowl evaded the zookeepers and flew out of the cage the other day. The keepers, after feeding the birds, slowed down in closing the cage, which gave ample time for the birds to escape. On Sunday, the zoo director called an emergency meeting of keepers and zoo staff. The keepers were strictly instructed to be more vigilant and warned of strict action if they committed an error again.

Authorities said anyone with information about the macaw parrot should contact the Museum and Zoo Department at 0471-2316275.