Fugitive Parrots Who Escaped London Zoo Caught 60 Miles Away

Two fugitive and critically endangered parrots who escaped London Zoo, have been found more than 60 miles away. Lily and Margot, the two blue-throated macaws, aged two, flew away on October 21 (Monday) while on their daily routine flight, leading to frantic search efforts from the zoo officials with several people sharing tip-offs about spotting the pair in the following days. The London Zoo even released an official statement urging people to provide any intel and not feed the rare birds. 

"They eat all sorts of things like sunflower seeds and nuts but they will scavenge for anything like fallen seeds. London is such a noisy city so finding their way back through the calls of other birds is much more difficult, which is why we're expanding the search," the London Zoo said in a statement. 

"We are not encouraging people to pet and feed them. If anyone spots them, send a photo and precise location to the zoo, using the What3Words app," it added. 

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Birds spotted 

It wasn't until a family in Cambridgeshire alerted the officials about the rare parrots sitting on a tree in their backyard garden that their location was finalised. 

Once the zoo birdkeepers arrived at the spot on Sunday, the two sisters fled the scene but were quickly traced to a field and public footpath in Brampton. As one of the birdkeepers approached them, the two birds immediately flew into their arms.  

After the rescue, the parrots were treated to pumpkin seeds, walnuts and pecans and transported back to the zoo. Both are believed to be in good condition and are now in quarantine at the on-site hospital. They both will join their parents Popeye and Ollie soon. 

Zoo officials said the two birds had "previously taken detours into the zoo's trees, but this time they ventured further afield", leading to an anxiety-filled search operation. It is believed that there are only 400 of the bird species left in the wild.