CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE — The Cape May County zoo is investigating the theft Sunday of its African grey parrot, Brutus.
The theft occurred sometime between the zoo’s morning opening when keepers fed Brutus a breakfast of fruits and vegetables and 2:15 p.m. when they returned to give him and the other parrots their lunch in the zoo’s aviary.
It was the first theft of its kind of any of the zoo’s animals, Parks Director Edward Runyon said.
Brutus was kept in one of five large steel-mesh cages in the aviary’s foyer, an enclosed room separate from the rest of the aviary where birds freely roam. The cages were kept latched and chained but not locked.
Zookeepers Janeen Moore and Peter Cyr said locks seemed unnecessary since the parrots consistently tried to bite or attack anyone who ventured too close. Prominent signs around the aviary warn as much.
“If you stuck your finger in there, you’d lose it,” Cyr said. “Think about what it takes to open a Brazilnut. He does that with his face.”
A sun conure named Poppy is especially bitey, he said.
“We don’t open his cage without wearing a welder’s glove,” he said.
When keepers went to feed the parrots Sunday, they found Brutus’ cage empty and the door latched shut.
“We knew he didn’t get out on his own,” Moore said.
The zoo immediately contacted the county sheriff’s office, which is investigating, Moore said. She is the zoo’s resident bird expert. She built an addition to her Dennis Township home for her pet birds.
Each year the zoo gets dozens of requests to take in unwanted parrots. Brutus was donated by a pet owner in 1997. The staff has to refuse virtually every offer, Moore said.
Parrots are long-lived animals that require a lot of time and attention.
“They’re high-maintenance,” he said. “It’s like having a 2-year-old for 70 years.”
For that very reason, Moore said people who want to adopt parrots — even African greys — can usually find one available at rescue groups. She sometimes helps people find homes for unwanted birds.
The Humane America Animal Foundation listed three African grey parrots available for adoption this month in South Jersey. That’s what makes Sunday’s theft so puzzling, she said.
Grey parrots are found in rainforests in central Africa in places like the Congo. They feed on a variety of fruits and nuts.
Natural mimics, they are considered to be one of the smartest birds, often repeating words or phrases or learning tricks. Moore said Brutus liked to dance for her and would mimic zoo visitors’ phone ringtones or the other birds in the aviary.
He even fooled zoo security guards once by mimicking an alarm siren, he said.
Most of the time, the parrots are kept in their outdoor aviary. But on cooler days like Sunday, they stay inside, she said.
Brutus was affectionate to some keepers and openly hostile to others.
“They remember you. And they hold grudges,” she said.
But despite his aggressive personality, Moore said he will be sorely missed.
She is asking whoever took Brutus to return the bird, no questions asked. The zoo will keep its cage open just in case the thief has a change of heart, she said.
“We love him like one of our own,” she said.
In the meantime, the zoo added heavy-duty padlocks to the rest of the parrot cages.
Contact Michael Miller:
609-272-7217