A luxury Manchester shisha bar has agreed to surrender a macaw it kept in a glass enclosure, after a petition signed by more than 10,000 people and a wave of online criticism forced the venue to reconsider the bird’s living conditions just a week after opening.
Gardens, which describes itself as a “luxury dining and shisha experience” near Manchester city centre, faced a significant backlash after videos shared on its own Instagram account showed a blue-and-yellow macaw named Rio housed in a glass box within the restaurant. An earlier clip posted ahead of the venue’s opening had shown Rio in a portable cage, but two subsequent videos showed him in the glass enclosure, prompting hundreds of comments from animal welfare advocates describing the setup as “completely inappropriate.”
Vegan food blogger Paul Jennings was among the first to raise concerns, contacting London-based campaign group Protect the Wild, which launched a “Free Rio” petition that quickly gathered more than 10,000 signatures.
Gardens has now confirmed it will hand Rio over to Protect the Wild free of charge so he can be rehomed in a sanctuary or large aviary. A member of the restaurant’s management team said Rio, which they claimed cost £3,500 to purchase, had been chosen by the co-owner’s daughter and a business partner’s son to complement the venue’s “natural environment” interior design, with a further £5,000 spent on a glass tank fitted with filtration and ventilation systems. He said the parrot’s welfare had been a “priority,” that the bird was fed each morning by the venue’s chefs, and that the RSPCA had visited the premises without raising concerns — claiming the charity had described Rio as “cared for better than 99 per cent of parrots in the UK.”
The RSPCA confirmed it had visited the premises following complaints but said it could not comment on the specifics of the case. In a statement issued before Gardens confirmed its decision to release Rio, an RSPCA spokesperson said: “We are aware of this and have visited the premises. Unfortunately we are unable to discuss specific complaints and what action may have been taken. We understand that is frustrating for animal lovers but releasing information could prejudice a future prosecution or lead to us being fined. We’re very grateful to people who report concerns about animals to us and we would like to reassure people they will always be looked into. A lot of the time issues will be dealt with by advice and education and it is not always appropriate to publicise this information for legal reasons.”
The restaurant’s management representative said the team now accepted the view that macaws “belong in the wild rather than kept as pets,” and believed letting Rio go would be “beneficial for all concerned.”
Charlotte Smith of Protect the Wild praised the decision. “Today, Rio will be surrendered, and we could not be more relieved,” she said. “We want to acknowledge The Gardens lounge for engaging with us and making the decision to surrender Rio. We know it was not easy, and we respect that ultimately, they chose Rio’s welfare above all else. That matters, they did the right thing and it should be recognised. To every single person who signed, shared, and spoke up, thank you, you did this! 10,000 people in under 24 hours showed Manchester that the public will not stay silent when animals need help.”
Stephen Smith of the Manchester Animal Rights Network said macaws were “highly intelligent birds and should not be kept in shisha bars and restaurants,” adding: “They are very easily distressed and lots of vibration from the music and being around so many people is likely to cause stress.”
A Salford Council spokesperson confirmed officers would be visiting the premises in response to public concern, adding: “At this stage, we are unable to comment on any actions that may result from the visit. Anyone who may have any animal welfare concerns, please report them to the RSPCA in the first instance.”
