Meimei is Safe!
A parakeet that had been living among sparrows in Central Park for ten weeks has been captured at last. It was just a matter of time before someone could rescue her from the chilling weather.
The rescue took place around 9 AM while the vibrant green bird was foraging near Winterdale Arch, which has been her recent hangout spot.
“We couldn’t let her freeze to death. That was never going to happen,” said birdwatcher and rescuer JP Borum, who watched Meimei munch on millet from her Manhattan apartment.
“We can’t control nature, but this situation was definitely a man-made issue. As humans, we wanted to do everything we could to fix it, and that’s what happened.”
Meimei, the little budgie, had been evading capture since birders first spotted her mingling with a family of house sparrows on August 20.
She quickly adapted to their wild behavior, but, unfortunately, didn’t learn how to survive the impending cold. As a domestic bird from Australia, she can’t endure temperatures that drop below 50 degrees.
After countless hours trying to catch her, Bolm finally succeeded when he cleverly pretended to be just a passerby walking down West Drive.
“The net had a round frame, so I just dropped it,” Bolm explained. He held it low, and it fell right around Meimei. She attempted to nip at his hand, trying to escape.
Despite spending around 300 hours trying to catch her, Borum was shocked by how small the bird seemed when she finally had control.
“When I got her in the net, she looked so tiny. Maybe it was just because I was finally in control,” she reflected.
It took a while for the reality to sink in for Borum, and tears of joy flowed as she held her beloved bird.
“I was surprised, yet I had this gut feeling it might happen. I was praying—definitely praying,” she said, calling the whole event a “miracle.”
Meimei, whose name means “sister” in Chinese, appears to be in good health but may have a tick infection that requires antibiotics.
She’ll need to quarantine in Bolm’s apartment for up to 30 days before going to a rescue facility and eventually returning home. There’s a possibility she might end up at the Bronx Zoo.
The excitement surrounding Meimei’s rescue transcended the bird-watching community and spread across social media, with many celebrating her capture.
“New York City can be tough for any wildlife: predators, poisons, and frigid temperatures that would spell disaster for any budgie. Yet, for more than two months, Meimei beat the odds. She adapted, bonded with a flock of sparrows, and inspired countless New Yorkers who followed her story,” Mintz remarked.
“Her rescue is a relief and a testament to the city’s capacity to care for her. A long and happy life awaits her in her new aviary.”
