Thief robs pet store of its beloved birds by stuffing them down his budgie smugglers
A pet shop owner in Swindon is fearing a number of budgies may have been killed after a brazen thief shoved them down his trousers during a raid
A cruel canary thief robbed a pet shop of its beloved birds by stuffing them down his budgie smugglers.
The brazen thug – who wore tracksuit bottoms during his raid – can be seen in these exclusive CCTV images launching his heist.
He snatched four canaries from a Swindon pet store as their partners sat on eggs.
Neil Eatwell, the stunned owner of Paradise Pets, says the missing animals are worth almost £200 in total – and he fears they may have been killed by being stuffed into the thief’s undies.
He added he was sickened the brute lifted birds from their cages during nesting – and is calling on Britain’s animal lovers to help finger the thief.
Neil, 56, who discovered the birds were missing on Thursday, fumed after reviewing his CCTV of the heist: “He got them out of the cage and into his clothing fairly quickly.
“Canaries are quite a slow bird – they’re not a difficult bird to catch as they’re quite a trusting little species. It was done in a matter of seconds.
“It’s cruelty to the birds themselves because whether they’re going to survive being manhandled and shoved down someone’s trousers, who knows.
“They were all parts of pairs and some of the females were actually sitting on eggs.
“It’s not the first time we’ve been broken into before and had birds stolen before but people break in at night to steal rather than shoplifting in broad daylight. It’s a pretty brazen thing to do.”
Neil added the thief – who is more than 6ft tall – had a blonde girl as a lookout as he smuggled away the birds.
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He said: “We were very busy the day of the theft. My daughter who works in the shop did think he and his lookout were acting suspiciously, and saw him putting his hands near the cages and was trying to keep an eye on them. But she didn’t see them take anything.
“I spotted that we’d had some birds stolen so I looked at the footage and then lo and behold found them doing it.”
The canary species lifted were two Rollers, one Fife and a red Phaeo. Neil said he shared images of the pair to warn other businesses they may be targeted by the bird thieves.
He admitted: “The chances of me getting the birds back are negligible – it’s more about awareness of these two individuals because I’m sure my store is not the only place they’ll be stealing from. The pet shop owner added the bird thief’s lookout was “blonde and about 5ft 6in” tall.
He added: “I’ve not seen this pair before but would recognise them again instantly. My message to them is, ‘Don’t come back’.”
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