Exotic birds stolen from Lehigh Valley pet shop

SALISBURY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPVI) -- A Lehigh Valley pet store is searching for more than a dozen exotic birds that were swiped from the shop.

Employees at Bird Mania say 15 baby birds were stolen Tuesday night from the Salisbury Township store near Allentown when burglars broke in through a bathroom window.

The colorful birds include parakeets and conures, a kind of parrot. They're valued at about $9,000 total.

"It takes a certain type of person to steal live animals," Sarah Ayers, a Bird Mania employee, said.

Workers say they're worried about the baby birds' health. The birds are still hand-fed and could die quickly.

"They require baby bird formula to sustain them at this point," Ayers said. "They are not eating enough seed to sustain themselves, and that's what we're concerned about."

Some of the birds already had been sold but were being kept at the shop until they were weaned.

"People are horrified, sad, many of them crying like we were this morning," Ayers said.

Store employees hope someone returns the birds unharmed, or tries to sell them, allowing someone else to spot where the exotic birds are.

Anyone with information is asked to call Salisbury Township Police Department at 610-797-1447.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.