Nottinghamshire bird shop boss claims dead canary in window was left by 'haters'
The owner of a bird shop in Nottinghamshire has suggested a dead canary found on the outside of his front window was 'left by haters'. The bright yellow bird was pictured laid inside the window grille of Pets 4 Homes in Netherfield on Tuesday, September 10.
It led to concerns over the welfare of the animals in the aviary, situated in Victoria Road, with one councillor saying he received allegations of birds dying shortly after being bought. Gedling Borough Council (GBC) confirmed it was investigating the complaints but said recent inspections raised no concerns over the welfare of the birds.
It said it had received no evidence to substantiate the claims that birds had died shortly after their sale. Ali Malik, owner of Pets 4 Homes, said he did not recognise the dead canary found in his window, claiming he had "no idea" how it got there.
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"I'm still trying to investigate who did this. Is it another shop? A competitor? Someone might make me want to look bad," he said.
"The haters and competitors think 'he's expanding his business, let's try to make him shut down'." The business has an animal licence rating of one star, meaning it is subject to frequent unannounced visits by GBC inspectors.
Russell Whiting, independent councillor for Colwick, said he had concerns over the conditions in the shop. "My primary concern is the dead bird, that bird has obviously suffered and died and I've had numerous other reports of birds that have been bought from the shop and they have consequently died," he said.
"As a nation of animal lovers everyone should expect these shops to be held to the highest possible standards. It makes me feel slightly uncomfortable when I walk past and hear the birds chirping away.
"If GBC have the power to take action they should do." Mr Malik said the doubts being cast over his business were "really sad", adding: "I challenge anyone to prove that I've done wrong. This is not just a business, it's a passion, it's my dream job.
"It's my livelihood, it's a passion. I've been here seven or eight years, the RSPCA have visited maybe 20 times.
"I think someone is making propaganda. We have good reviews on TikTok and Facebook. We have high standards, the shop is clean and the birds have big cages."
Portfolio holder for public protection, councillor David Ellis said: “GBC takes complaints of this nature very seriously and the Licensing Team has carried out several inspections of Bird 4 Homes and raised concerns about the standards of the premises. The company originally received a three star rating which was reduced to a one star rating due to a failure to maintain standards.
"While this is not a good rating, it doesn’t mean that they cannot have a licence, it means that the council will increase interventions and monitor the cleanliness of the premises. All of the inspections carried out by the council did not raise concerns about the welfare of the birds in the shop."