A blue-and-yellow macaw parrot, valued at over Rs. 500,000, has been stolen from a cage at the Dehiwala National Zoo.
The incident occurred on the night of the 4th and was captured by a security camera installed at a nearby shop. The footage reportedly shows suspicious activity near the zoo premises during the time of the theft.
According to reports, the cage that houses the parrot contains a total of 30 blue-and-yellow macaws. Zoo staff discovered that one of the birds was missing the following morning.
The theft came to light when the designated caretaker arrived for duty and noticed that the safety lock securing the cage had been broken. The zookeeper immediately alerted senior zoo officials.
Following an internal inspection, authorities confirmed that one macaw was indeed missing from the enclosure. A formal complaint was subsequently filed with the Dehiwala Police by a security officer on behalf of the zoo’s management.
This is not the first time such an incident has taken place. On August 8th, 2021, another blue-and-yellow macaw from the same cage went missing and was later located at a residence in the Ratmalana area.
