Hunt for mystery bird decorator who is killing dozens of sparrows by wrapping tinsel and Christmas decorations around their necks
- Dozens of sparrows have died after tinsel and decorations were tied to them
- Birds have been seen adorned with trinkets in Wellington, New Zealand
- The birds have been forced to starve to death or die of thirst in many cases
- SPCA isn't sure if the person responsible is being cruel to the animals on purpose
Dozens of sparrows have died after tinsel and Christmas decorations were tied around their necks in what animal activists have called a shocking case of animal cruelty.
Birds have been seen adorned with trinkets in Wellington, New Zealand, over Christmas, with people also reporting seeing sparrows with Anzac poppies and ribbons tied to their bodies.
In some cases, metal ribbon has also been found wrapped around the birds' legs.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is appealing for information in order to find out who is responsible.
Dozens of sparrows have died after tinsel and Christmas decorations were tied around their necks in what animal activists have called a shocking case of animal cruelty
Birds have been seen adorned with trinkets in Wellington, New Zealand over Christmas, with people also reporting seeing sparrows with Anzac poppies and ribbons tied on their bodies
'We are continuing to get reports of wild birds in the Kilbirnie area with decorative trinkets, such as tinsel or ribbons, attached to their wings or around their necks,' the group posted to Facebook.
Someone has been decorating the birds for years, before but the instances have spiked over summer.
The birds have been forced to starve to death in many cases, while others have died of thirst.
Barely-alive sparrows brought in to the SPCA had to be euthanised as they were in such poor health, an SPCA spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.
Share this article
'The birds have all been ''decorated'' with tinsel, ribbons, bits of wire decoration and rings,' she said.
'The birds are often unable to move naturally with these decorations and they are preventing them from flying, eating and drinking.'
SPCA central region general manager Ros Alsford said the sparrows become severely stressed as they try and remove the decorations, and get themselves further entangled as they attempt to get the tinsel off their bodies.
In once case a bird was 'severely underweight due to starvation', she told Stuff.
Barely-alive sparrows brought in to the SPCA had to be euthanised as they were in such poor health
'The tinsel was wrapped so tight it cut the circulation off around its wing,' she said.
Ms Alsford told the New Zealand Herald that they weren't sure if the person responsible was being cruel on purpose.
'Obviously, some is doing it intentionally because it's not natural behaviour for birds to have like this,' she said.
'It seems to be only sparrows, it's most odd and unusual. It's something we're concerned and worried about.'
Comments 0
Share what you think
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
