A rare North Texas bird flew a little too far from home but is safe once again, thanks to a bag of chips.
Giulio Ferrari and his 15-year-old Catalina macaw named Samba were at a photoshoot at Lewisville Lake on Sunday afternoon when a sudden gust of wind startled Samba, triggering him to fly into a faraway tree.
“My heart is broken. It’s like your child is on top of a tree,” Ferrari told NBC 5 DFW during the 48 hours that he was trying to rescue the parrot.
Ferrari spent countless hours shooing off hawks and attempting to call his pet back, trying to lure him with peanut butter and mandarins.
Several visitors were alerted by Samba’s distressing cries, only to find a note left by Ferrari at the base of the tree stating, “My macaw flew up this tree. If you can help, please call.”
Mohammad Jilani was on his way to the pier when he heard Samba’s cries. “He’s in distress. He’s stuck up there. He’s crying for help almost like a person,” he said, reported NBC 5.
Monday afternoon, the Lewisville Fire Department attempted to rescue Samba for nearly two hours, but the rescue attempt was unsuccessful as the bird kept flying away.
On Monday evening, Samba was attacked by several hawks. Although he survived the attack, Ferrari grew increasingly anxious about being reunited with his feathered friend.
The escape echoed a similar experience in 2012 when Samba was spooked by fireworks and set out on a three-day escapade in trees around the area.
Samba’s original escape was brought to an end when a construction company arrived with a cherry picker, allowing Ferrari to go up on it and rescue the macaw.
Ferrari told NBC 5 on Tuesday that the rustling of a bag of chips motivated Samba to move within a distance that was close enough for him to grab the bird.
“He knows it’s chips from the rattling so when I started rattling the bag of chips he got the gusto and the courage to go down the tree to a point where I was able to reach him and catch him,” Ferrari said, per NBC 5. “It’s like my soul has reentered my body. When this happened my soul left my body for three days.”
Ferrari bought Samba a treat of mango gelato to celebrate their reunion.