Mickey the cockatoo was rescued by a bird expert after spending a month in Macarthur Square Coles supermarket

A bird expert has told how he rescued a curious cockatoo that had been stuck in a shopping center for weeks and evaded more than 20 capture attempts.

Mickey the cockatoo became trapped at Macarthur Square shopping center in Campbelltown in Sydney’s south-west last month.

The bird was seen inside and outside the Coles supermarket in the centre.

After several failed attempts by residents to catch the cockatoo, wildlife expert Ravi Vasan managed to complete the task on Tuesday morning.

Mr Vasan, who is director of the Feathered Friends Sanctuary in Orchard Hills and the volunteer organization Sydney Wildlife Rescue, told ABC Radio Sydney he was inspired to try to coax Mickey by supporters on social media.

“Everyone said, ‘Of course you can catch that cockatoo,'” he said.

He said that when he first saw Mickey, he seemed to be “petrified of anyone who looked like they were going to catch him.”

“She helped me lure him in”

To calm the cockatoos, Mr Wasan took a female sulphur-crested cockatoo named Doris from his sanctuary to a shopping centre.

“I brought her, put her in the shopping center and Mickey was so taken with it that another cockatoo showed up nearby,” he said.

“To be honest, she helped me lure him in.”

Mr. Vasan began giving Doris treats in front of Mickey, which prompted him to approach.

“He looked at it and said, ‘OK, this guy isn’t going to grab me.’

“Then I gave Mickey a treat—let me tell you, he gave me a good bite.”

After giving Mickey a treat, Mr. Vasan moved Doris to the other side. cage, which he installed near the Coles supermarket.

“Mickey followed Doris into the cage and I ran in at the last minute and closed the door behind him,” he said.

Environment Minister Penny Sharp, who referred to Mickey as a “she”, said catching the cockatoo after the bird “took up residence in Coles” was a difficult task.

“People were concerned that people might think she should be killed rather than captured,” she said.

Ms Sharp said it was “good news” Mr Wasan had managed to catch Mickey.

“She seems to be in very good condition. She lives on scones and lots of other snacks at Coles,” she said.

Mr Vasan said it took about 20 tries to catch Mickey.

The cockatoos have since been released back into the wild.