The Hollister Co. decided keeping animals as pets in their stores was not a good idea after all. Riley, a Macaw parrot and Fletcher, a cat, the pets that Hollister Co. kept in their store, have gone away.The Easton Town Center store donated Riley to the Columbus Zoo about 11 days ago, said Patty Peters, spokeswoman for the Columbus Zoo. As of now it is uncertain where Fletcher, the cat, has been taken.According to Peters, Riley will be kept in quarantine for 30 days to protect the zoo’s existing collection of birds. Eventually Peters hopes Riley will be able to participate in the zoo’s educational program, “Wings of Flight.”Alan Anthony, an Ohio State alumnus, brought the animals’ situation to the attention of bird sanctuaries and animal rights groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Anthony and animal rights activists were concerned for the animals’ health and well being. He said Hollister’s atmosphere could have caused the bird to go insane and eventually commit suicide. Also, the fact that the cat was left in the store alone over night was a cause of concern for some.Anthony said he was happy to hear the news of the release. However, he is still disappointed in parent company Abercrombie & Fitch for its behavior throughout the ordeal.”We (the animal rights activists) were obviously elated, but disappointed that Abercrombie wouldn’t even talk to us about their decision,” Anthony said.Anthony attributes the animals’ freedom to the hard work of over 12 animal rights groups. The groups joined together and posted petitions on Web sites and sent letters to Abercrombie & Fitch officials on a daily basis. Junior high students at Mifflin International Middle School even collected money in an attempt to buy the stores mechanical birds to replace the live ones.”Abercrombie made a business decision based upon the negative publicity they were receiving,” Anthony said. “It’s unfortunate that Abercrombie embarked on this misguided marketing scheme in the first place.”According to store employees, the animals are being removed form all Hollister stores.Originally Abercrombie & Fitch placed the animals in the store in hopes of creating “the most ideal working and shopping experience” according to their statement on the condition of the animals. Abercrombie & Fitch has still not issued a formal statement on the release of the animals.