An anonymous donor has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the shooting deaths of two macaws, Coral Gables Police said Thursday.
The macaws, parrots known for their long tails and colorful feathers, were found last week in the 200 block of U.S. 1 just east of Grand Avenue in the median. They may have been nesting in a palm tree, where there were also two babies.
Police said one of the birds was shot in the head and the other in the face. They believe the birds were killed with either a small caliber rifle or BB gun.
The shooting deaths of the birds have gotten a lot of reaction from the community, so police and fire crews returned to the area more than a week later, to make sure the other parrots who hang out there are okay.
"Coral Gables Police has been excellent, because the couple of people that got involved, they're major animal lovers and they were very upset about this," said Karin Lee with the Bird Lovers Club.
Residents are baffled why anyone would shoot the birds and they hope this case brings attention to an even bigger problem with the helpless birds.
"Hopefully this will bring awareness. I mean, they poach them and they take them down to the flea market or bird places, and they get a couple hundred dollars," Lee said.
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Coral Gables is considered a bird sanctuary because of its high bird population. The Bird Lovers Club is coming up with a nesting project to relocate parrots to a safer place to live.
Dana Feinstein, who fed the birds every day, has also offered a $1,000 reward in the case. Anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
