A Blue-and-yellow Macaw, reported to be worth over Rs. 500,000, has been stolen from a cage at the Dehiwala National Zoo.
The theft had reportedly occurred on the night of June 4 and the suspected thief was captured on a CCTV camera installed in a shop near the zoo.
It is reported that there were 30 Blue-and-yellow Macaws in the bird cage, and one of them was stolen in this manner.
The zookeeper in charge of the bird cage had noticed that the safety lock had been broken when he went to open the cage for duty the next morning after collecting the keys. He had then informed higher officials at the zoo.
During a subsequent inspection, officers confirmed that one of the Blue-and-yellow Macaws was missing from the cage.
The zoo administration has later lodged a complaint with the Dehiwala Police through a security officer.
On August 8, 2021, a Blue-and-yellow Macaw kept in the same cage had also gone missing and was later found in a house in the Ratmalana area.
