Watch CBS News

Craigslist Ad Reunites Woman With Stolen Parrot

BUENA PARK (CBS) — A Buena Park woman was reunited with her stolen helper parrot over the weekend, according to police.

There was no ransom, no search, just a bit of luck when an unidentified kid posted an ad on Craigslist to say he was willing to trade something for his bike. A man came with "Sparkey", the 12-year-old blue and gold macaw, covered in a sheet and exchanged it for the bike.

The exchange raised the kid's suspicions and he called authorities, according to the parrot's owner, 44-year-old Chere Pulido.

The last time Pulido saw Sparkey was at about 10 p.m. on March 13. The next morning the parrot was missing.

"I said, 'Hey Sparkey', and I went to unlock the cage and lifted it up and noticed he was gone. And I looked around and I searched all the doors and I'm like, 'No'," Pulido recalled.

She said bolts had been removed from the top of the cage and she could see signs of a struggle - Sparkey's feathers scattered in the park behind her house.

Pulido said her neighbors heard horrific sounds the night before.

"I heard he was screaming and hollering and fighting them with everything he had," Pulido said.

The birdnapping suspect traded the macaw for a bike on Craigslist. The bike's owner called authorities to see if his new parrot had been stolen and found out about Pulido's missing bird.

Pulido said she has that Good Samaritan to thank for getting her "best friend" -- and her lifeline -- back. The Buena Park resident said she has a cancerous brain tumor and relies on Sparkey to call for help in times of need: "Being able to push a 911 alert button."

Police said the investigation is continuing and detectives have a lead they are trying to pursue.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.