A wildly brazen thief snatched a coveted African Gray parrot from a New Jersey fowl retailer in a caught-on-camera daylight sortie that surprised the shop’s proprietor and left her terrified for the bothered avian’s life.
The unidentified suspect wore a darkish Nike hoodie when he strode into Birds by Joe 2 on Route 46 in Saddle Brook in Bergen County about 3:30 p.m. Thursday and requested proprietor Katarina Rukavishnikova if he may see the dear parrot, which prices a cool $7,000.
“This guy came in and started asking all the right questions,” Rukavishnikova informed The Publish on Monday. “I believed, ‘OK, he’s going to purchase the fowl.’ “
However that’s when the person all of the sudden seized the cage with the fowl inside and flew the coop, leaving the shocked proprietor in his wake, in accordance with NJ.com.
“It actually took me a few seconds to realize what was happening — the reality of it,” she mentioned. “This never happened to us.”
The shop’s safety cameras caught the entire thing, and Birds by Joe later posted screengrabs to the shop’s Instagram account.
Now, Rukavishnikova simply desires the fowl again house.
“We definitely hope the bird is OK and alive,” she mentioned. “Sure, it’s some huge cash that we’re shedding. However on the identical time, I’m extra involved concerning the well-being of the fowl.
“Is it being taken care of? Because this person is all over the news, did he drop the bird somewhere? That’s my main concern.”
African Greys, that are identified for his or her intelligence and uncanny mimicry expertise, are coveted unique pets that might fetch a reasonably penny on the black market.
Natives of Africa’s lowland forests, the species is among the world’s most closely trafficked — greater than 1.3 million have been detected within the worldwide commerce since 1975, in accordance with the Worldwide Fund for Animal Welfare.
Cops are requesting assist discovering the suspect and have requested anybody with info to name the Saddle Brook Police Detective Bureau at 201-587-2940.
