Baby parrot nabbed from Citadel pet store

A bird thief nabbed a 3 ½-month-old African Gray parrot from a pet store in the Citadel Mall Thursday night, and a store manager is worried the ailing pet might not survive the ordeal.

Someone broke a lock on the bird's cage, grabbed the animal and walked out of Pet City between 7:10 p.m. and closing time, 9 p.m., said office manager Debbie Maestas.

The animal is worth an estimated $1,200, but the pet store is more worried about its welfare. The African Gray baby, at about 8 inches tall, is still being hand-fed and requires special care, including medication for a croup infection, a respiratory illness. The bird is not old enough for pet store workers to determine its sex.

Maestas hopes the thief will do what's right and return the animal - either to the store, police or the Humane Society.

"This bird doesn't deserve to die just because whoever took it doesn't know how to take care of it," she said. "That's horrible."

Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call police at 444-7000 or Pet City, at 596-2734.