TINLEY PARK, Ill. (STNG) -- Has anyone seen a light blue parrot? The 6-inch bird - worth about $700 - was stolen from Petland in Tinley Park. Two men, who police believe might be in their late teens, took the bird about 6:30 p.m. Friday when employees were entertaining children in the back of the store with python snakes for a 5-year-old's birthday party. One man grabbed the blue quaker bird from its cage, while another stood nearby as the look out, store manager Marion Oddo said.
And it's all caught on tape, thanks to small cameras mounted throughout Petland.
"I am so worried about the health of this bird," Oddo said. "Are they caring for it right? ... I'd rather a fish tank walk out the door than a live animal."
The store at 16195 Harlem Ave. has seen theft before. Someone stole a miniature pincher puppy in 2005, but a microchip implanted in the dog led police to it, Oddo said. It returned to the store the same day, she said.
A blue-colored blue quaker parrot is rare and commonly bought, Oddo said. Petland in Tinley Park only has two. Now it has one. It is the first time the store has had such a bird, Oddo said.
The stolen bird, which is not named, is friendly and has a gray chest.
Oddo said the person who stole the parrot has been a customer before, She's convinced he lives in or around Tinley Park.
"Somebody's got to know him," Oddo said.
And she hopes the blue quaker is alive and well.
Anyone with information is asked to call Petland at (708) 429-2680 or Tinley Park police at (708) 444-5300.
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