Orange paint marks an area Wednesday where a man who allegedly stole three exotic birds from the Zoo of Acadiana crashed into several trees and was killed after leading police on a chase in Broussard. One bird died in the crash, another one died later from injuries sustained in the wreck and one is alive but loose in the Broussard area. 

BROUSSARD — A New Iberia man is dead after attempting to steal three birds from the Zoo of Acadiana. 

Lea Loftin, zoo marketing director, said the zoo’s owner George Oldenburg was asleep at 2 a.m. Wednesday in a house on the grounds when he awoke to a noise. 

Loftin said Oldenburg was on the phone with 911 for about 20 minutes  while he watched a man — later identified as Yongcun Su, 35, of New Iberia, get items from the zoo and load them into his SUV. 

Loftin said Su somehow knew where to find things like pet carriers on the grounds and possibly towels, which he used to take three exotic birds.

Kiwi, a caique, Baby Blue, an Indian ringneck, and Seni, a Senegal parrot, were taken from their cages.

The birds were not kept on display, Loftin said, because they were used for educational programs, TV appearances, the zoo’s Jungle Camps and visits to retirement homes. All the cages in that area were opened, she said.

Loftin said the birds’ street value isn’t that high, but their role at the zoo was valuable.

“You walk into a retirement home with Kiwi and elderly people’s faces just light up,” she said. “I don’t know how you put a value on that.”

Once police arrived on scene, the 2011 black BMW SUV was speeding away from the zoo, according to a prepared statement from Broussard Police Chief Brannon Decou.

Officers followed until losing the vehicle near the railroad tracks on Main Street (Louisiana 182). But Su lost control of the vehicle he was driving not far from the tracks, leaving the left side of the road, crashing into several trees and then coming to a stop in a front yard, according to the statement.

The vehicle caught fire and Loftin said they believe at least one bird, possibly the Senegal parrot, was killed in the blaze. The police statement said Su was found outside of the SUV and may have been ejected.

Loftin said the bird Kiwi was seen crawling away from the burning car by rescue personnel who picked up the bird, put it in a box and placed it in a patrol car.

Shannon Gonsoulin, All Creatures Veterinary Hospital owner and veterinarian, said Wednesday is his normal day to work at the zoo. He said he examined Kiwi and determined it was be best to send her to the LSU veterinary clinic for specialized treatment.

“They can handle critical cases with birds easily,” he said. 

He added none of her injuries appeared imminently life threatening on Wednesday, but Loftin said this morning the bird died overnight. 

Blue Baby, the Indian ringneck, flew away from the vehicle and has been sighted at several locations in Broussard, Loftin said. But she said she doesn’t have much confidence the zoo will be able to reclaim the bird between the difficulty of catching it and the number of hawks in the area.

Su was taken to a hospital in critical condition but later died from his injuries, according to the statement.

Police found a “large amount” of cash in and around Su’s vehicle. 

“It’s such a sad story,” Loftin said. “You kind of can’t wrap your mind around it.”

Loftin said the course of events was just baffling — that someone would try to take birds from the zoo and then lose his life because of it.

“This is such an emotional thing for us here,” she said. “It just doesn’t make any sense to us. We feel sorry for the family.”

Loftin said officials have not been able to make a connection between Su and any past or present employees at the zoo to know how he might have known where to locate certain items. 

Decou this morning said investigators are gathering more information today in reference to the bird theft. The department also is awaiting results from toxicology tests, which are routinely done in the event of a fatality.