With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Who’s Capturing Parrots With Nets In Temple City?
A pandemonium of parrots in a Pasadena tree.
(
Ursula Heise
/
Courtesy
)
Last week, a TikTok video surfaced of an unidentified person in Temple City, lofting a parrot trapped in a white net over a small block wall and stepping into his car.
@ceidyorozcocordov #templecity #sangabrielvalley #losanglescounty #sangabrielvalleyhumanesociety #parrotsoftiktok the area where I live have beautiful parrots in the city of Temple City we start noticing that couple of parrots were dead on the street in the middle of the road of Rosemead Boulevard. My husband caught this guy yesterday, pulling strings, torturing these beautiful parrots if you guys seen this guy, please report him 🙏 this is not right #templecitymajor
♬ original sound - Ceidy Orozco Cordova
Multiple local news stories followed, as did outrage at the person who people believed may be a parrot poacher.
Since then, L.A. County sheriff’s deputies have interviewed the person in the video and have determined that he didn’t commit a crime. They did not release his name.
Sponsor
“He did not put up the nets, has no idea who put up the nets, but he has picked up a couple of parrots,” said Detective Sergeant Richard Lewis. “We went to his house. He has no parrots.”
The man told deputies that when he returned home with the parrot, he cut it out of the net while standing in his carport and it flew away. He reportedly found a second trapped parrot and tried to free it, but it died.
The animal appears to be a red-crowned parrot, which has struggled to survive in its native habitat in Northeastern Mexico. They’re thriving here in Southern California, likely arriving as a result of the pet trade some time in the 1970s. In places like Temple City and Pasadena, you can see and hear pandemoniums (a flock of parrots) flying between trees.
Animal control has removed multiple nets strung up between trees in Temple City, though it’s unclear who’s putting them up and why.
Besides the two parrots associated with the man, another was recently found dead on the road.
If you’re in Temple City and you see someone putting up or taking down a net, call the Sheriff Department's non-emergency number at 626-285-7171.
Sponsor
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
