A couple weeks ago, two animal rights activists swiped a 32-year-old galah parrot from an Australian pet store. The activists, identified as two women in their 50s by a witness, left pamphlets at the scene that advocated freeing birds from their cages. The pamphlets were printed by the World League for the Protection of Animals, which denied it had any involvement in the theft of the animal.
The thieves sent a letter to The Daily Telegraph in Sydney claiming they had liberated the bird from its “prison-like existence” at the pet store, and was now free to live out his life in a larger aviary.
World League for the Protection of Animals Joan Papayanni told The Daily Telegraph that, “It [liberating a 32-year-old bird] would be the last things from our minds. This bird wouldn’t survive [in the wild]. We don’t like the idea of birds in cages, but only a fool would say a bird in a cage for 30 years should be let out.”
The bird has becoming something of a celebrity, with anonymous individuals posting a reward of AUS $7,000 for the return of the animal.
Sources:
Hector thieves make contact. Stavro Sofios, The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), August 7, 2002.
Hunt for misguided animal lovers. Stavro Sofios, The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), August 7, 2002.