Another bird used to help free Mickey the trapped cockatoo

A cockatoo has been rescued from a Sydney supermarket after being stuck inside for four weeks, with another cockatoo brought in to help coax* the frightened bird to safety.

Mickey the cockatoo became trapped inside Macarthur Square Coles in southwest Sydney after mistakenly flying into the store.

A store manager said wildlife rescue service WIRES had been to the Coles supermarket “every other night” in attempts to remove the confused cocky, but each attempt had failed.

High, warehouse-style ceilings made it difficult for the rescuers to reach Mickey, who could easily fly out of reach whenever he felt threatened.

Public concern for his health and wellbeing grew after a concerned animal activist* claimed on 2GB radio an order to “shoot” the bird had been given after four weeks of failed attempts to have him removed.

As rumours spread that Mickey might be harmed, politicians such as Campbelltown councillor Josh Cotter, local Labor MP Greg Warren and NSW Premier Chris Minns all spoke out in support of his rescue.

Environment Minister Penny Sharpe also spoke out, insisting Mickey would not be shot and that there had never been such a plan.

Jane Lumaguip, who works at a nearby shop, said on Tuesday she had noticed the bird flying around for the past two days.

“It keeps flying and squawking,” she said.

“It’s so noisy, you know? Yesterday, we were like, ‘What’s the bird doing here?’” she said.

Locals like Ms Lumaguip were concerned for Mickey’s wellbeing, noting the bird appeared stressed as the days wore on.

“If you notice the bird, it’s already, like, not very active … it looks very stressed already,” she added.

Luckily for Mickey, his time indoors was coming to an end.

Ravi Wasan, a dedicated local wildlife rescuer from Sydney Wildlife Rescue and Feathered Friends, used an innovative* approach to gain Mickey’s trust by bringing along his trusty feathered assistant, “Old Lady Doris” the cockatoo.

Speaking after the successful rescue, he shared how he patiently rescued Mickey.

“I went in the morning, worked out where he was moving around, and made sure he wouldn’t go anywhere to eat anymore,” Mr Wasan said.

“He was full, so I came back again at two o’clock.”

He said Mickey had grown wary of people after so many failed rescue attempts.

“Mickey was so frightened and untrusting of people because he’d been there for four weeks, and there were so many attempts that he was scared,” he said.

Eventually Old Lady Doris, a gentle cockatoo from the Feathered Friends bird sanctuary, was able to help calm Mickey and coax him to eat with her in her cage.

“Mickey kept flying off, taking little seats, then flying off again. It happened over 20 times,” Mr Wasan said. “It took ages for him to trust the cage … and then eventually he went in for a little bit, and just at that last minute, I could be skirted* behind him and shut the door.”

Mr Wasan took both birds back to his home to check over Mickey, who took comfort in having Old Lady Doris by his side.

“Doris is the sweetest little soul, and we were able to use her to build trust with Mickey,” he said. “There are some really cute shots where the two of them are cuddling each other.”

According to Mr Wasan, Mickey is in good health and is expected to reunite* with a local flock of wild cockatoos soon.

Ms Sharpe said she was “delighted” to know the bird had been rescued safely “after spending way too long in Macarthur Square”.

“Mickey is being assessed by experts. We hope Mickey will be flying free by tomorrow,” Ms Sharpe said.

Mr Warren also celebrated the good news, thanking staff and volunteer rescue groups for their efforts throughout the ordeal*.

“I am looking forward to seeing Mickey back in the wild back where he belongs,” Mr Warren said.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• coax: encourage
• animal activist: someone who protests for better treatment of animals
• innovative: new or different way of doing things
• skirted: move
• reunite: meet up with someone again after being away
• ordeal: difficult experience

EXTRA READING

Hungry barn owl’s Bunnings rescue

Young humpback’s harbour rescue

Magpie Molly makes it home

QUICK QUIZ

1. How long had Mickey the cockatoo been trapped in the Macarthur Square Coles?
2. Why was it difficult to rescue him?
3. What innovative approach did Ravi Wasan try?
4. In what way did food play a part in the rescue?
5. Now that Mickey has been rescued, what is the next step in making sure he is OK?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. What did they say?
Imagine that you are creating an animated movie about the cockatoo rescue. Write the script of conversation between the two cockatoos that you think might have happened during the rescue. Remember to make your script dramatic and exciting.

Time: allow at least 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English

2. Extension
Can you think of any ways that large buildings with high ceilings, like shopping centres, can be made bird safe? Create a design that could help rescuers to safely rescue trapped birds or to avoid them becoming trapped.

Time: allow at least 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Design and Technologies

VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.

Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.

Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?

Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.