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November 06, 2006
Thefts of rare birds from Loxahatchee research center endanger flocks
Tiffany, a pink Major Mitchell cockatoo, could fetch $2,500 on the street. Mr. Green, an elegant Eclectus Parrot, could snag $1,000.
The theft of Tiffany, Mr. Green and two rose-breasted cockatiels that same night in June is unsolved. So are the subsequent thefts of six other exotic birds from the Loxahatchee bird-rescue operation called Milo's Ranch.
But worse, each bird is a carrier of Macaw wasting disease, a highly infectious, untreatable illness, deadly to more than 50 species of birds ranging from rare macaws, parrots and cockatoos to wild Canadian geese. It is harmless to humans and has no relation to bird flu, according to experts.
"Some jerk's found a way to make a quick buck and he's dealing sick birds," said an angry Mary Jo Meyer, who founded Milo's Ranch in 2000 as a rescue mission for abused or unwanted birds.
She converted it into a research facility in 2003 when the group was unwittingly exposed to two birds with Macaw wasting disease. Signs warning that the birds are infected with a deadly, contagious disease are posted all over Milo's Ranch.
"My theory is that the thief lines up the buyers, first [before he steals the birds] because he's been here seven times and taken only 10 birds. Otherwise, he could have just wiped us out the first night," said Meyer, 34, a tall, sinewy woman with a no-nonsense attitude who can easily coax a bird to dance or toss kisses.
Continue reading from :South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted by sue at November 6, 2006 11:46 AM