Bird lover heartbroken after attack
A bird lover from County Antrim has been left heartbroken after vandals cut open her aviary and allowed more than 60 birds to escape.
The aviary contained budgies, canaries, parakeets and cockatiels
Caring for her birds was a labour of love for Lynne Scott from Derriaghy and her aviary was a poignant memorial to her grandmother.
But on Saturday night vandals ripped out the aviary’s wiring allowing 68 budgies, canaries, parakeets and cockatiels to fly away.
Lynne first knew something was wrong on Sunday morning when she was awoken by a neighbour who had found one of her canaries.
She went out to her aviary at the back of her house on the Milltown Road to find it had been vandalised and all but eight of the birds had flown away.
“All the birds are going to die, the wild birds will just kill them, it just seems so pointless.”
Lynne Scott
“I have finches, canaries, budgies, cockatiels and parakeets and they all lived in there quite happily together and now they have all gone,” she said.
“Why do that? All the birds are going to die, the wild birds will just kill them, it just seems so pointless.”
Lynne has been using a large net to try to recapture some of the birds which have been spotted by neighbours flying around the area.
“One of the parakeets keeps calling for his mate and she is still in the neighbourhood,” she said.
“One of my neighbours told me it was flying around, but I wasn’t able to catch it, but hopefully if it hears its mate calling it will come back.
“My neighbours are being very, very kind. Any birds that they see, they are coming knocking at my door or catching them for me and bringing them back.”
‘Memorial’
Lynne set up the aviary last year after being left some money by her late grandmother.
She said she could have bought a new car but decided to set up the aviary as a memorial to her grandmother who loved to spend her time feeding birds.
“When my grandma died last year, I wanted to do something with the money she had left me which would be a lasting reminder of my grandma.
“I thought long and hard about it and all the money has gone into building a flight and stocking it with the birds.”
Police have appealed for anyone with information concerning the attack to contact them.
