2 men sought for theft of baby parrot from Delran, New Jersey store

DELRAN, New Jersey (WPVI) -- The search is on for two men involved in the theft of a baby parrot from an exotic bird store.

Police say the men stole the bird, which is worth about $1,000, around 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

"When we were doing our hand-feedings in the evening we noticed that one of our sold pineapple conures was missing," said store manager Chris Luberski.

Even more disturbing: the bird, only a few months old, was still being hand-fed special formula three times a day.

"That baby is very vulnerable at this point if not fed properly," said Luberski.

Surveillance video shows a busy shop, and you can see two men near the nursery window where several baby parrots are kept.

One man appears to take one and walk around the corner.

"The bird was taken behind the pole over there and that's when he put it in his pocket," said Luberski.

Now Delran police are looking for the two men in the surveillance video.

Staff say the cages are kept closed, but not locked. Posted signs urge customers to ask for help when handling a bird.

The pineapple green cheek conure that was stolen is about 10" long from head to tail with bright colors, orange yellow and green.

The bird was sold to a family who had planned to take it home in a few weeks.

"They are extremely upset. Rightfully so," said Luberski. "They came in multiple times to bond with that bird."

Bird lovers are stunned.

"That's super sad. It was somebody's family pet and they made a connection in the store first, and it's really sad," said Jill Hebner of Philadelphia.

The manager says because of this incident they will be installing locks on all cages.

Anyone with information on the two men - or the bird - should contact Delran Police.