FLOWN THE COOP

Two Threatened, Exotic Birds Swiped From California Zoo

Someone cut the lock to to the aviary in the dead of night and put the creatures in a duffel bag.

A brazen bird-napper cut the locks of the aviary at the California zoo and tucked two threatened species into a duffel bag in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday. Officials at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo have alerted local pet stores to be on the lookout for the feathered crime victims. They are especially concerned because the purloined Nicobar pigeon and lesser sulphur-crested cockatoo are elderly and require special care. “We do not know the condition of either bird and we hope to get them back quickly so that our veterinary team can examine them and continue the care they require,” General Curator Lyn Meyers said in a statement, according to the Visalia Times Delta.