Mickey the cockatoo flees Coles supermarket but remains trapped in shopping complex

The race continues to save a cockatoo nicknamed Mickey from harm after he became a regular “friendly fixture” Coles supermarket, as the native species took flight out of the store and into a busy shopping centre.

The native bird became reportedly trapped inside the store at Macarthur Square in Campbelltown, NSW, about four weeks ago when he flew in through the loading dock.

A concerned wildlife lover, Tom, called 2GB on Monday after learning there was a plan in place to acquire a licence to shoot the bird after many failed attempts to release it back into the wild.

“I think it’s absolutely ridiculous, I’m just over the fact people don’t use common sense anymore,” Tom said.

“The common sense and the right answer is so simple and they make it so difficult and make the wrong answer at the end of the day.

“What’s the harm in catching the bird and releasing it.”

A WIRES spokeswoman told 2GB it was unable to assist in safely capturing the bird.

“Centre management and Coles have been advised by WIRES that the ceilings are too high to use a regular containment net and native animal rescuers are not legally permitted to use net guns under the NSW Prohibited Weapons Act,” the statement – seen by NewsWire – stated.

“As the bird has access to plenty of food within Coles and the food court it is not possible to lure it into a cage using food. Nor is it safe to use a tranquilliser dart as the bird will fall from a height and potentially hurt itself – it also might not survive the effects of the tranquilliser.

“WIRES has also advised Coles to contact National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) as WIRES is licensed through them and we are required to follow their procedures and guidelines for rescuing and caring for native wildlife.

“It is not known if Coles management has contacted NPWS for a resolution yet.

“We are continuing to monitor the situation and assist where legally possible.”

A Coles spokeswoman confirmed the bird was no longer in the store but was still stuck inside the shopping centre on Monday afternoon.

“The cockatoo, which has become a friendly fixture in the Macarthur Square shopping centre, is currently not inside Coles but exploring other areas inside the broader shopping precinct,” she told NewsWire.

“When the bird has entered our store over the past few weeks, our team along with external expert wildlife and bird management organisations have been working extremely hard to safely and importantly, humanely, relocate the cockatoo to where it belongs, in the outdoors.”

The Coles spokeswoman said it was important to make sure staff found the right balance between protecting the animal and honouring food safety standards.

“We are working hard to balance our responsibility around food safety and animal welfare,” she said.

“While this friendly cockatoo is making himself at home in-store, we want our products to be enjoyed by our customers without any food safety issues.

“The cockatoo is currently not inside Coles, however, if it does return, we will continue to try a number of methods to entice him or her back into the outside world.”

The WIRES spokeswoman warned against leaving food out for the bird, because it could leave to health issues for the creature.

“Food (bread etc) is also being left near the doors by the public and although with all the best intentions is actually harmful as it weakens their immune system and attracts them to the area,” she said.

The wild native bird is protected by law, which makes it difficult to find a solution to safely remove it from the store.

It’s not the first time a bird has become trapped inside the shopping centre, with WIRES assisting the rescue of another cockatoo in Big W on August 12.

The spokeswoman said on that occasion numerous attendances were required before the bird “was eventually released by leaving a back door open”.

“This is generally the only way we are able to free the birds that regularly fly into the centre via the large sliding opening doors into the complex,” she said.

Centre management has also been contacted for further comment.