Rare bird stolen
2007-08-23
Lise Beyers
AN extremely rare parrot was stolen from the recently opened wildlife awareness centre, Giraffe House at Joostenberg Vlakte, in a suspected attempt to disrupt the work of a conservationer.
During the midnight hours of Sunday, a perpetrator entered the centre and allegedly went directly to the cage which houses the Military Macaws.
These birds are extremely rare and are nearing extinction, according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The owner of the parrot, Brian “Snake Bite Jones” Vorster, was devastated by the loss.
Vorster is known throughout the Western Cape for his lively educational shows with birds, snakes and other reptiles to promote the conservation of these species.
“This prized bird is worth in the excess of R35 000 and just vanished overnight.
“Next to the cage of the Military Macaws are the blue and gold Macaws which are actually more attractive, but not as valuable.
“The person who was responsible for this must know how to handle these birds, as they can bite your finger off.”
The story however has a happy ending, because after it had been missing for almost 36 hours, Vorster was alerted by the Salvation Army across the road about a colourful bird perching in one of their trees.
“I am very relieved as I didn’t know in whose hands the parrot had landed up.
“There is no way that he could have escaped from the cage and if he had been in the vicinity on Monday, he and his mate would have been calling to one another endlessly.”
Vorster is however a worried man, as this is not the first case of sabotage that he has had to deal with recently.
Last week his pelicans were also freed from the wildlife centre.
Mr Penelican, who achieved worldwide fame when he starred in the hit movie Racing Stripes, and his mate, Beabea, were found wandering outside the perimeter of Giraffe House.
The electric fence had been cut open, as well as a second fence surrounding the pelican enclosure.
In the process both of these giant birds were severely traumatised and sustained minor injuries.
Another setback for Brian, who is a keen falconer, was the recent theft of his Gyrfalcons from his home on a farm on the southern foothills of Paarl Mountain.
“These are the largest of all falcons and are almost irreplaceable.
“I really have no idea who may be doing this, but they are disrupting my hard work.
“I am planning on opening a wildlife centre in November and it is starting to look as if somebody is trying to hamper my plans.”
The police are investigating these burglaries.
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