Police Save Exotic Bird Abandoned at Trader Joe's

The Capitola Police Department is in search of any information regarding a red macaw that was abandoned in the parking lot outside last Wednesday.

About 5:30 or 6 p.m., Sgt. Cliff Sloma and other officers were dispatched to the Brown Ranch Marketplace after receiving a report that the bird had been left on a shopping cart outside the supermarket. 

"Apparently a subject in a brown van — that's the only description we have — drove up, extended his arm with the bird on it, let the bird step out onto the shopping carts and then drove off," Sloma told Patch.

Officers took the bird to Native Animal Rescue on 17th Avenue in Live Oak for further attention, Sloma said.

While Sloma was unable to comment on the medical condition of the bird, and attributed its ruffled appearance to "possible molting," others paint the picture a bit dimmer. 

"The bird was found malnourished and in very poor shape," a spokesperson from Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue said in an email to Patch.

The spokesperson, who asked not to be named, also noted that the veterinarian who saw the macaw "recorded the following: road rash and abrasions from hitting the ground, bruised beak, tail missing, gum stuck on feathers, extreme neglect and more."

Once the macaw's medical work-up is complete, it will be transported to Mickaboo where it will be cared for by a foster parent. 

"It wasn't your average, everyday police call by any means," Sloma said. "Luckily we were able to catch the thing and didn't get bitten, so that was good."

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call the Capitola Police Department at 831-475-4243. If you would like to donate to Mickaboo's angel program, which aids in medical rehabilitation the birds, click here.

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