Frankfort Parks Department Superintendent Joel Tatum launched a GoFundMe campaign over the weekend to garner community support to restore the birds stolen from the TPA Park Aviary in Frankfort in June.
Tatum began the campaign in hopes that the community would support the funding of new birds for the aviary, but Tatum reminded the community to remain hopeful for the safe return of the stolen birds, including Taco, Dusty, Jimmy, Calista, Sydney, Pricilla, Poncho, Monkey and Munoz.
“Let’s help bring new magnificent creatures to TPA so that the community can once again enjoy their beauty and companionship,” Tatum wrote.
The GoFundMe campaign may be found here. The campaign by Tatum remains as the official campaign for the restoration of the aviary. Donations may be delivered to the Parks Department through the mail or at the Parks Department office at 1 Adrian Marks Dr. in Frankfort as well.
As of Tuesday, July 2 at 4:30 p.m., the campaign has reached $2,055 toward its $30,000 goal.
June 9 Report Regarding Initial Incident:
The Frankfort Parks Department reported that a break-in at the aviary last night into the early morning resulted in the theft of multiple birds from the TPA Park aviary.
On Sunday, June 9, zookeepers reporting for their early feeding of the birds noticed several birds missing from the aviary, officials said.
Upon notice of the missing birds, the Parks Department reportedly contacted the Frankfort Police Department to launch an investigation into the situation that is now currently pending.
According to Parks Superintendent Joel Tatum, the damages from the stolen birds are estimated to be around $30,000 for the aviary.
As a result of the stolen birds and investigation, the Park’s Department announced that the TPA Park Aviary and Petting Zoo will be closed today, Sunday, June 9.
Community members are encouraged to visit the Frankfort Parks Department Facebook page for more information regarding the investigation as it develops.