Monday, 10 March 2014 - 18:08
Pet shop in protected animals bust
A pet shop owner will be prosecuted, after police seized 25 protected native birds from his store. The birds lacked the proper identification rings and are presumably caught in the wild.
The birds, 6 House Sparrows, 6 Dunnocks, 5 Eurasian Blue Tits, 3 Great Tits, 2 European Robins, 2 Common Chaffinch, and 1 Bullfinch, were kept in aviaries in the store. Glue residue on some of the birds confirms suspicions of illegal acquisition. Animal police, accompanied by Animal Control decided to investigate the store after they were tipped off. It's not the first time the shop owner commits the same violation. The birds were transferred to an approved caretaker, pending a decision of the public prosecutor.