The ‘im-peck-able’ efforts of Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters and NSW Police have seen an exotic bird reunited with its owner, four days after it vanished from a home in Auburn.
The two-year-old turquoise-fronted amazon, named Skittles, was being kept in the backyard of an Auburn home when it got a fright and flew away late last week.
Its devastated owner contacted NSW Police to report it missing.
In a stroke of luck, an eagle-eyed detective at Auburn Police Station noticed the expensive bird outside a window, which doesn’t open, around 3pm yesterday.
FRNSW and the owner were called to the scene to lead the recovery.
Firefighters deployed a truck with a ladder platform, placing Skittles’ owner in a harness and helmet before carefully assisting her up four storeys to retrieve her precious pet.
Skittles walked onto her owner’s arm and was placed back in a cage, performing a number of tricks for rescuers when returned to ground level.
FRNSW Lidcombe Station Officer, Darryn Moalem, praised all involved, noting “these birds don’t come ‘cheep.'”
“Birds are notoriously difficult to rescue – they’ll generally fly away as soon as anyone gets close to them and you’ll never see them again,” Station Officer Moalem said.
“The careful efforts of firefighters, police officers and the owner have paid off in this instance, and it’s great we’ve been able to bring about this reunion.
“All in all, it’s another feather in the cap of emergency services!”
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.