An Angus budgie breeder has spoken of his disgust after sick thugs went on the rampage in his garden aviary and killed his prized birds.
The callous vandals broke in to 85-year-old Brechin widower Jim Shepherd’s shed and tore the doors off the cages and tipped over nest boxes.
Seven budgies and 11 chicks were trampled to death after falling to the ground. Around 15 eggs were also destroyed, and seven budgies are missing.
Mr Shepherd, of Montrose Street, said he felt physically sick when he got up the next day and found the budgies and chicks lying dead in his aviary.
It also brought back painful memories of a previous break-in when 14 birds were stolen to order from his aviary five years ago the very night that his wife died.
Mr Shepherd managed to catch another 20 birds which were flying around amidst the devastation.
“This has just been mayhem,” said Mr Shepherd, who used to run a shoe shop in Brechin.“I’ve keeping them for 60 years and this is the worst thing that’s ever happened.
“Five years ago, 14 of my birds were stolen to order the night my wife died but this was pure vandalism.”
Mr Shepherd keeps 150 of the colourful birds and often wins first prize when he enters them in shows across the UK.
Some of his exhibition budgies are worth £300-£400 each and he increased security following the previous break-in.
However, on Tuesday night he went inside to watch Celtic playing in the Champions League on television. He thenforgot to close a window at the side of the aviary.
The thugs struck between 8pm and 9.15am the following day.
Mr Shepherd said: “The fronts were torn off the cages and there were dead birds all over the floor.
“Seven budgies were killed, 11 chicks were trampled and countless eggs about 15 I think were also trampled.
“I think I’m going to bury the budgies but I can’t bury the chicks because they were stamped into the floor.
“Whether it was intentional or not I don’t know but there are lights in the aviary so they would have been able to see,” Mr Shepherd said.
“They also scattered seeds all over the place and my budgie records were also thrown on the floor.
“The strangest thing was that a pair of jeans and shorts were found in theshed.
“I’ve no idea whether they’d been stolen from a washing line or used to deafen the noise of the break-in.”
Asked if he thought the attack was a deliberate one, Mr Shepherd replied: “I don’t know who would hate me enough to do this.
“This has just been terrible.”
However, amidst the carnage, Mr Shepherd said there had been one chink of light.
On the ground among the dead budgies he found an egg which was notbroken.
The chick hatched on Thursday morning after being placed back into the safety of the aviary.
“When I saw the chick had hatched I thought, ‘all is not lost’,” said MrShepherd.
Police have appealed for witnesses following the incident.
Anyone with information should contact 101.