A sulphur-crested cockatoo named Mickey who became a local celebrity has been freed after living inside a Sydney shopping centre for four weeks.
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Wildlife services failed on multiple attempts to capture the bird at Macarthur Square Coles supermarket in Campbelltown before a feathered friend was called in.
Footage shared on social media showed Mickey tearing into bread, perching on a chandelier and strolling around the supermarket during his stay.
Sydney Wildlife Rescue rehabilitators arrived on the night of October 22 to rescue Mickey, however, it was no easy task.
The first capture failed as they were unable to get the store light level low enough to effectively catch Mickey.
The following morning, the rescue team made more plans and the Feathered Friends bird rescue director Ravi Wasan managed to capture Mickey.
Mr Wasan said it was his day off but opened Instagram to find his followers calling on him to help, and he couldn't resist the challenge at the store "down the road" from his house.
"So many attempts where people were trying to catch the cockatoo that he lost all confidence in people and he was really scared," he told the Today Show on October 23.
He brought in a flight-trained cockatoo named Old Lady Doris to help calm Mickey.
He said Doris "takes most of the credit" for the rescue as she "sweet talked" Mickey into trusting him.
After spending time with Doris on a shopping trolley he slowly opened up to Mr Wasan and ate treats from his hand. He was then coaxed into a crate and removed from the store.
The cockatoo was taken back to Feathered Friends for a "once over" and was released in the local area on Wednesday.
"I'm pretty sure that Mickey will never step into Coles ever again," Mr Wasan said.
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