The macaw spotted and reported on gulfnews.com has been claimed by a reader as his lost pet.
Visiting Australia for a month, the only things Nomaan Mohammed had on his mind were – Karishma, Kareena and Katrina, and we are not talking about Bollywood beauties. They are his pet parrots named after Indian Bollywood actresses, he bought in the UAE a few years’ ago. He had left on August 5 for Sydney for a month’s break.
On August 27, he received a phone call from his Bangladeshi housekeeper in Dubai with a shocking piece of news. He informed Mohammed that Karishma, the female scarlet macaw, had run away from their home in Al Qusais.
He was devastated, thousands of miles away from Dubai, unable to do much.
“I immediately made a virtual poster and shared it on various Facebook and WhatsApp groups, in the hopes that someone would have spotted her,” he said.
Two days passed in this struggle but he did not lose hope.
“I was sure someone would have seen her in the area, and I would know it’s my parrot,” he told Gulf News via phone from Sydney.
Ray of hope
On August 29, at 4am, Australian time, his phone started flooding with messages from people who told him about Karishma’s whereabouts.
People were sharing the gulfnews.com story, “Watch: Giant scarlet macaw lands on Dubai resident’s window”, that was published on the website on August 29, with Mohammed to alert him.
“As soon as I saw the pictures and the video attached, I knew it was my parrot,” he said.
Now, Mohammed is claiming that the parrot that landed on the fellow Al Qusais resident’s window is his.
“I live a few buildings away from the place described, it is Karishma who landed on their [Sumitha Arun Kumar’s] window,” the finance manager claimed.
Mohammed is currently working on getting back to Dubai at the earliest possible from Sydney, Australia, to find Karishma himself.
“I will firstly print out posters and distribute them around the area,” he said.
He also plans to put Kareena, his the blue-and-gold macaw in a small cage and walk around the neighbourhood where Karishma was last spotted.
“Macaws make louds sounds and I am sure Karishma will recognise her friend, Kareena’s voice and come back,” he added, wistfully.
Worried about Karishma’s safety
Mohammed said that he is extremely worried about his pet’s safety. “It is very hot and humid outside, and I can’t stop thinking about how she is surviving the conditions,” he added.
The 35-year-old said that Karishma is also a picky eater and what she would be managing to feed herself worries him. “I feed her specific fruits like French apples and walnuts from the US. She only eats specific things,” he said.
How did she escape?
Like most pet owners, Mohammed said that he is anxious when leaving his pets at home but he had to leave them under the care of a housekeeper.
“She made a hole on the soft wire fence we have in our backyard, where we keep the birds, and escaped,” he said.
Macaws are known for their strong beaks that they use to eat nuts and fruits in South American forests, their natural habitat.
Flying high
The family currently owns a number of pets including turtles, fish and birds.
Karishma, Kareena and Katrina have been on the cover of a pet magazine based in the Middle East as well.
“People love the trio because of their names, I just hope they reunite,” he said.
Huda Nomaan, Mohammed’s wife said that their two children, six and 10, are quite attached to the parrots and hoping for Karishma’s return.
“My daughter, Thahoora, only has one wish this year on her birthday that is coming up on September 10, to have Karishma back,” she said.
