SANTA ANA : Thieves Steal Two Macaws From Zoo

Thieves smashed the locks on two bird enclosures at the Santa Ana Zoo early Monday morning, stealing a pair of blue and gold macaws worth an estimated $2,000, zoo officials said.

Curator Connie Sweet said the break-in occurred sometime after 3 a.m. Zoo workers making their rounds discovered that locks on two enclosures had been broken and the birds missing.

A second pair of South American birds, aracaris, which resemble small toucans, escaped when their cage was tampered with. The female was recaptured Monday by zoo workers. The male has been seen in the zoo area.

The thieves apparently used a garden rake, which was found near the cages, to corner the macaws inside their 10-by-8-foot enclosure. The birds were raised in captivity but are not considered tame and have probably been traumatized by their capture, Sweet said.

“Our main concern is to get the birds back unharmed,” she added.

The stolen macaws are a mated pair, weighing about 2 1/2 pounds apiece. Leo, the male, has been at the zoo since 1984. The female, which was not named, has been there since 1987.

Sweet said that although macaws are common in pet stores, there is a significant black market for parrots of all breeds.

Sweet asked that anyone with information about the birds call the zoo at (714) 647-6575.