Handlers searching for flyaway macaw
Missing: Milo the Macaw, age 8, 1 ½ feet tall, wingspan about
3 ½ feet and really colorful.
The Columbus Zoo & Aquarium said the bird flew off from the openair Animal Encounters Village show Thursday and hasn’t been seen since about 8 p.m. Friday.
If you spot a blue and bright yellow bird perched high in a tree, or on your bird feeder, do not approach. It’s not that Milo is a dangerous raptor, but it would be best to call the zoo at either of these numbers: 614-7243434 or 614-582-1844.
“He’s not like any other bird you’ll see around here,” said Shawn Brehob, director of animal programs at the zoo in southern Delaware County, west of Powell.
Usually, the show birds fly from one handler across a stage to another handler. Milo apparently encountered a gust of wind that sent him out of the show area, Brehob said.
“We kept an eye on him all day Thursday and yesterday,” Brehob said. Milo hung around the tall trees in the North American exhibit as handlers called his name.
Knowing that Milo needs a good-sized clearing to land, zoo workers moved closer to the entrance to the zoo.
“He came down but swooped up again,” Brehob said, apparently due to another wind shift. Zoo workers lost sight of him around 8 p.m. Friday when darkness fell.
Chances are he’s not far from the zoo, maybe in the trees around the Scioto River or O’Shaugnessy Dam, Brehob said. He can forage for tidbits of food in the trees but nothing like his usual zoo meal.
Milo wants to be found, Brehob said, but he can’t home in on the zoo because he’s familiar only with the Animal Encounters Village. He would have to accidentally fly over it to recognize home turf.
The last time a Columbus Zoo macaw flew the coop was September 2015. The bird, whose name was unavailable, left the Animals on Safari Show and was gone for five days before a resident spotted it atop a house on Carriage Road near Powell.
Brehop said handlers have been calling Milo’s name hoping to hear his familiar squawk in answer.
It likely won’t do you much good walking around the neighborhood yelling, “Milo! Milo!”
Milo is a smart bird and can recognize his handlers’ voices, Brehob said. Just call the zoo.