Hungry birds try to eat dead mates

Emaciated chickens, roosters and ducks in pain, stress

An Aucklander has been sentenced to home detention and banned from owning animals after he was caught keeping about 600 starving birds in “abhorrent” conditions.

Keshva Rajan pleaded guilty in the Manukau District Court to three charges, including ill-treatment and failure to ensure the health needs of an animal.

Rajan was found keeping about 600 chickens, roosters and ducks in overcrowded conditions with no dry area, no shelter and no adequate food when visited by an SPCA inspector in 2014.

The birds had severe feather loss, were very thin and walking in thick mud and faeces — amongst the bodies of dead birds. They were so hungry they were trying to feed on decomposing birds.

SPCA chief executive Andrea Midgen said the birds had suffered a huge amount of pain and stress.

“They were severely emaciated, dehydrated, had significant feather loss, and were riddled with lice and worms. Their owner had completely failed to ensure their needs were being met.”

It was the second time SPCA responded to an animalwelfare complaint at a property run by Rajan.

Between 2012 and 2013, he had been investigated for a number of breaches of the Animal Welfare Act.

This was in relation to sheep, goats, pigs, ducks and chickens he was keeping as part of an illegal poultry and home-kill business.

Rajan admitted three charges of wilful ill-treatment of an animal, ill-treatment of an animal and failure to ensure the needs of an animal were met with both good practice and scientific knowledge.

He was sentenced to six months’ home detention, 150 hours of community work and ordered to pay veterinary and court costs to a total value of $3840.

The SPCA inspector also seized multiple birds from Rajan and took them for veterinary treatment.

Midgen said it was disappointing Rajan didn’t follow orders after the first series of inspections.

“Unfortunately, Mr Rajan did not co-operate and we were compelled to prosecute.”