Birds lost after vandals break into Stonebridge City Farm aviary

Up to 70 birds have been released by vandals who broke into an aviary at Stonebridge City Farm in Nottingham.

The charity-run farm in St Ann’s posted the news on Facebook, revealing someone broke into the premises in the early hours of Thursday (September 21).

Staff arrived at 8.15 am to find a note from a member of the public and a box containing two birds which someone had managed to rescue at around 4am following the break-in.

Once on site manager Peter Armitage found damage to the door and locks of the aviary.

He says: “It looks as though someone has used a crowbar to break in and let the birds lose.”

The missing birds including Cockatiels, budgies, canaries and finches.

Farm staff found noticeable damage to the locks and doors of the aviary. Photo: Stonebridge city farm.

Mr Armitage added: “There is nothing of massive value, most of the birds were donated by the local community. It appears to be just an act by mindless vandals, with no gain whatsoever.

“Unfortunately, it does have expensive consequences for us. It has significantly reduced the number of birds we have, there is no way of knowing for sure but it could be up to 70 birds.”

Notts Police have been contacted and the incident has been reported as criminal damage.

Mr Armitage added: “Our priority is getting as many of the birds back as we can, some are still on site and in the surrounding areas so we are trying to coax these back but it’s not an easy task.

“We are worried that because of the cold weather they will find it difficult to survive overnight without proper shelter. There is also the threat of attack from larger animals.”

Stonebridge City Farm has around 40,000 visitors every year.

Peter says: “This is a strong reminder for why we ask for kind donations and financial support from the community so we can strengthen our security to provide a safe environment for our animals, so our visitors can enjoy the experience.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Notts Police on 101.

A force spokesman said: “We are investigating an incident at a farm in St Ann’s, Nottingham, which was reported to us at about 4.20am today (September 22) September 2017).

“It was reported that number of birds had been let loose from an aviary.

“Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 68 of today.”

The farm has suffered a number of acts of vandalism and theft in recent years.

In August last year a ‘Star Wars shed’ designed to look like the Millennium Falcon from the blockbuster film was smashed during a break-in.

(Visited 436 times, 1 visits today)