A blue-and-yellow macaw, valued at over Rs. 500,000, has been stolen from a cage at the Dehiwala National Zoological Gardens on the night of June 4, according to a complaint lodged with the Dehiwala Police by a wildlife security officer, Police said.
The theft came to light when the caretaker of the cage brought the keys the following morning to begin his duties and noticed that the wire mesh protecting the cage had been cut. Senior zoo officials were immediately informed, and after inspection, they initiated a police complaint.
Police said that the cage in question housed 30 blue-and-yellow macaws, of which one has been stolen. Normally, in incidents involving missing or stolen animals from the zoo, it is the responsibility of a senior official or a designated officer from the wildlife division to file a police complaint. However, concerns have been raised internally over the fact that a security officer without knowledge of animal care was tasked with lodging the complaint in this case, allegedly by a Deputy Director of the zoo.
Director General of the Department of Zoological Gardens, Chandana Rajapaksa said: “The wire mesh securing the cage where the blue-and-yellow macaws were kept had been cut, and one bird was stolen. We have lodged a complaint with the Dehiwala Police and are offering our full cooperation with the ongoing investigation.”
He said that a similar incident had occurred earlier, on August 8, 2021, when another blue-and-yellow macaw had escaped from the same cage. It was later recovered from a house in the Ratmalana–Borupana area following a tip-off.
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