DENVER – A Goffin’s cockatoo who’s been around longer than the class of 2023 was stolen from a Highlands Ranch pet store over the weekend, and the owner is now asking for the public’s help to bring her home safe and sound.
Simon, a 31-year-old female Goffin’s cockatoo, has been greeting customers at the Neptune’s Tropical Fish store in Highlands Ranch for 29 years, but her cheerful “Hello!” to customers over the years was silenced late Friday night, when two people broke into the store and left with the bird and a roll of quarters at about 10:50 p.m.
“She’s our stress relief, she’s our little companion animal here. If you’re having a bad day, you can come over and pet Simon. She’ll give you cuddles,” said owner Sharon Sullivan, who was notified about the burglary in the early hours of Saturday. “She’s a very personable, interactive bird.”
Surveillance video outside of Neptune’s Tropical Fish store showed two people exiting a black vehicle and prying the front door open with a crowbar as one of the two suspects went straight for the cash register.
“Unfortunately for them, I don’t leave cash in my drawer. A roll of quarters is what they took out of the cash register,” said Sullivan, who added the burglars also broke through a couple of display cases before turning around and grabbing Simon as they made their way out the store in less than three minutes.
Simon is white (and petite for her variety) and has peach color around her beak as well as some yellow in the back tail feather, Sullivan said.
“She has a lot of value to us, so we just want our bird back,” she said. “No questions asked, just bring her back to us.”
The suspect vehicle is a four-door, newer model black Hyundai Sonata, Sullivan said. Surveillance video could not clearly show a license plate number for the vehicle.
The owner hopes that raising awareness of the bird’s theft will return her with the pet store’s mascot.
“She’s got to be terrified ‘cause she never leaves the store,” Sullivan said. “This is her home and we’re her people. This is where she’s most comfortable.”
Sullivan asks anyone who may see Simon being sold online to please contact her or the Neptune’s staff at (303) 798-1776 or at sharon@neptunestropical.com. She is offering a $5,000 to anyone who brings Simon back home safe.
