Community Camps Out for Escaped Rare Bird
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The community won't keep their eyes off the bird, but Lansing Fire Department has a hands off policy. Video by fox47news.com
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Many people don't like to see blue and gold around here in Spartan country, but when it's a blue and gold macaw, people can't help but look.
It's been five days since Henrietta, a blue and gold macaw, escaped. She's visited many different trees around Gier Park, and always rests on the tallest branch.
"We're worried about her over a period of time not getting food or water," said Mark Wallace, Henrietta's owner. "I believe she'll live only a week or 10 days, and then she'll probably just fall out of the tree and die."
So, the community has taken bird watching to a whole new level. They've camped out.
"Sleeping on the ground, lying on the ground, just waiting with flashlights, and checking on her at night, and making sure she's not moving, and no ones trying to get at her," said Lyndsay Ingraham, who's been watching Henrietta for a few days.
Wallace and his wife have a bird rescue at their home with two other blue and gold macaws. They wanted to take Henrietta's identical friend, Astro, into the house, but they chose Henrietta by mistake. Her wings aren't clipped.
"If you don't clip them, more than once, it will break your heart," Wallace said. "That's exactly what this ones doing. It's too bad, but in time, I hope we get her back, I hope so."
Wallace tried calling anyone with the equipment able to reach Henrietta, including Board of Water and Light, Animal Control, and Lansing Police and Fire. Fire officials said there's just too much liability in these situations.
"How do we explain that to the community? That we were unable to save your child or family member, because we were out rescuing a cat or a bird out of a tree," said Lansing Fire Public Information Officer Steve Mazurek. "Not a good trade off there."
That's not the way Henrietta's owners see it.
"Yea, it's only a bird, but what if that was your dog or anything else?" Wallace said ."Even though they ain't native to us, it's still life. That's just how it is."
UPDATE: Shortly after we ran this story, the Wallaces received many phone calls from people who spotted Henrietta.
Tree climbers from two different services volunteered for the job, and got her down safely from a tree near Habitat For Humanity in the Larch and Lake Lansing Road area.
Henrietta is now safely home.
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