Beauty destroyed

We are visited by so many different birds here at my home and although I chase them away, I cannot but admire the Sulphur Crested Cockatoos with their glorious white plumage and striking yellow crest which always fans out when they land. I chase them away because they can be very destructive - it is so tempting to feed all wild birds that venture near and can be encouraged to be quite tame - however the Cockatoo, although one of the easiest birds to encourage, can become the boss very quickly. Once these birds know that they will be fed when they visit, they will expect a handout every time they arrive. If you happen to not be at home when they call these large birds will vent their frustration by ripping at the wooden frames around the windows, tearing the fly-screens and the cloth covering of outdoor furniture and sinking their beaks into whatever they can. Unfortunately we learned the hard way! They are a beautiful bird (but noisy!) and are best viewed in the bush!
Unfortunately there is a nasty disease that can touch these magnificent creatures, it is called Beak and Feather disease. I have no idea how this starts but the consequences are miserable. The top beak grows long and makes eating and preening difficult and the feathers fall out. Usually the beautiful yellow crest goes first. Eventually the bird is unable to fly or feed - a slow, drawn-out way to die. This morning was very cold - the lowest part of our acre block had a covering of frost on the grass - so I felt so sorry for this poor bird.

I spotted the bird sitting on our bird feeder - it was unable to get to the food because we have a cage over the dishes - intentionally to keep the cockatoos away. I went straight to the camera and put on the 50-300mm lens and quietly opened the door to the veranda and took my pictures while hidden from the bird's sight. Being so vulnerable makes these birds even more flighty and it is very difficult to get close to them.
As you can see from the last shot where he was just in the act of flying away, it has no feathers left on its body. How it was able to survive the cold night, I have no idea.
The pity is that the cockatoo is a native bird and as such we would get into trouble if we killed it - and yet that would be the kindest thing to do. Instead we are supposed to trap it and then take it to a vet to kill! I think that is actually quite a cruel thing to do, trapping a bird is very traumatic for the bird - and who would be expected to pay for the euthanasia? So we do nothing - and feel sad because we can do nothing.
AJ