CARNATION, Wash. - Bob Dawson has been a fan of feathered creatures since he was a boy. He's dedicated a dozen years to caring for birds on his property in Carnation which he calls the Macaw Rescue and Sanctuary.
What happened there this weekend has left him worried.
"I trust everybody and I just had a piece of me ripped out. It is very tough," said Dawson. "It is a violation."
He suspects sometime between Friday night and Sunday afternoon, someone stole more than 40 of his birds. Volunteers first noticed something was wrong. Dawson then began counting birds on the 20-acre site.
"There is Senegal parrots, Meyer's parrots, brown-headed parrots, red-bellied parrots," said Dawson as he rattled off some of what is now gone. "Fair market value on the species that are missing is probably between $8 to 10,000."
With his birds and his trust gone, he is just trying to salvage what he can of his sanctuary.
"No questions asked, just bring them back," urges Dawson.
Macaw Rescue and Sanctuary, a non-profit organization, plans to install a security system. A police report was filed with the King County Sheriff's Office.