A Cleveland man has been left angered after his pigeons were savagely attacked in their loft.
Sean Wardle, of Carlin How, visited his allotment just off Westray Street at around 10.30am yesterday to discover four of his tumbler pigeons without heads as well as four chickens lying headless on the grass.
Sean, 45, said: “When I first saw the chickens I thought it must have been a fox.
“Then when I saw that the wire mesh on the front of the pigeon loft had been damaged but the padlock was still on I knew there was more to it.
“I couldn’t believe it when I found the birds lying there with no heads. They were still warm and one of them was still flapping so it can’t have happened long before I got there.”
Sean has maintained the allotment for the past 25 years but has only kept the 45 pigeons their in the loft for the past two and a half years.
Despite never showing the birds professionally, Sean, who looks after the birds with his girlfriend Louise Neate, puts a lot of time and effort into their care.
He said: “The birds aren’t worth a lot but they mean a lot to me. I am doing something for a hobby and not harming anyone. I just can’t understand people.”
Sean Wardle of Carlin HowSean Wardle of Carlin How
Sean shares his allotment with a friend, Ryan Taylor, whose four chickens were also killed during the attack.
Ryan, 18, who only got the chickens about a month ago said: “I couldn’t believe it when I heard what had happened. They had just started laying eggs and I was planning on getting more.
“I also thought about getting some ducks and a goat for the allotment but now I will be thinking twice about it.”
Louise, 36, said: “I think it is an absolute disgrace that somebody could do this.”
Sean added: “The rest of the birds now won’t go back inside.
“They’re obviously scared about what has happened. I just think it is sick and I don’t know what someone would get out of doing this.”
Cleveland Police confirmed that an investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information should call 101.
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