COCO, a Bolivian blue and gold macaw who was missing for five days, was safely returned to his owners in Gillitts on Friday 17 January.
The adventurous parrot escaped from his cage after he had chewed a hole in the wire of his temporary cage. He and his mate, Kelly, had been moved out of their aviary as she had laid eggs. He was found in New Germany.
His owner, Iain Hill, was working in his garden on Sunday 12 January when he heard a commotion and saw Coco flying overhead to the back of the garden. Debbie Hill said, “Coco perched in a neighbour’s tree and my husband attempted to retrieve him by calling him from an extended ladder, but he just sat in the tree watching us and continued preening his feathers.”
When it became clear that Coco was not interested in returning home for affection, Iain went to the garage to fetch a bucket of seeds to coax Coco back, but when he returned he was horrified to discover that his beloved parrot had disappeared.
“By this time I had already contacted Steven King, of Waterfall Crime Watch, for assistance. A broadcast was sent out for residents to keep an eye out for Coco. That night and on Monday we experienced terrible storms. He had never experienced those elements and we were expecting the worst, ” said Debbie.
On Wednesday 15 January, the Hill’s luck changed, when a “blue and yellow macaw” was spotted in Clifton Hill. Debbie rushed to where the bird was spotted, but when she arrived she found out that he had disappeared once again. That same evening a family having a picnic on Acutts Drive in Hillcrest saw Coco. “He landed on a lamppost nearby. The one gentleman offered him a chip, and Coco climbed onto the man’s arm with one of his feet. At that moment a mother and her child walked past. The child got excited and scared Coco, who flew off,” said Debbie.
Finally on the Friday Coco was spotted in a driveway in Padfield Park, New Germany by a gardener. He threw a towel over the obviously tired and hungry bird, and took it to his employer. Steven was alerted and soon after Iain rushed to collect Coco.
“Iain put him in the back of his bakkie and Coco just perched next to a window before he started repeating his favourite phrase ‘What now?’,” said Debbie.
Debbie also reported when they returned Coco to his cage he and his mate, Kelly, made an awful ruckus. “She must have been very angry with him for leaving her alone, because within five minutes she had kicked him out of their nest and would not allow him to return,” said Debbie.
While Coco was missing the Hill family also feared for Kelly. “While Kelly is incubating the eggs she does not leave the nest. It is Coco’s responsibility to feed her. We feared that because she would not eat or drink on her own, she would wane away,” said Debbie.
The Hills are extremely thankful for the support that they received from the community.
