When animal cruelty detectives approached a suburban home, they were met with a horrifying scene that included heaps of trash, rotting plastic bags, empty bottles, and dead birds.
On January 12, two NSW RSPCA Inspectors carried out a search warrant at a property belonging to a man and a woman in Liverpool, western Sydney.
The hoarders were charged with animal cruelty last month at Liverpool Local Court for keeping more than 90 birds inside the filthy apartment.
The animal protection organization posted images of the apartments inside on Thursday, showcasing the extent of the deplorable living circumstances.
In the images, there were piles of trash, bottles, plastic bags, boxes, dirt, and birds in living spaces and bedrooms.
According to a statement from the NSW RSPCA, there were a total of “19 bird cages” as well as rubbish “stacked to the ceiling” in several rooms.
With 50 birds residing there and another 42 having died, the cages were “very congested.”
The bulk of the cages were encircled by trash and covered in a buildup of garbage and seed.
The majority of the cages lacked access to natural light, and none of them had clean water, according to the statement.
The accumulation of old seed and waste in one of the cages was so bad that the birds inside had no place to perch or spread their wings.
The remaining birds were then sent to an RSPCA NSW facility in Yagoona for evaluation and care.
According to veterinarians, the birds’ chronic health issues were brought on by their inadequate living conditions and starvation.
Twelve of the birds were extremely underfed, and five had eye problems.
Following the execution of the search warrant, one of the NSW RSPCA inspectors described the extreme nature of the scene.
“Watching the poor living conditions that these birds were subjected to was an incredibly confronting experience,” the author writes.
It is heartbreaking to consider how long these animals were in pain and how easily this terrible situation could have been avoided, he said.
The hoarders were found guilty of crimes included failing to provide 50 remaining birds in the flat with suitable housing and failing to treat sick birds.
They were each sentenced to a two-year Community Corrections Order, a $6,000 fine, and a two-year disqualification order.
In addition, the man was sentenced to pay $12,027.85 and the wife $6,728.43 in vet fees, which included the cost of the RSPCA facility’s care and housing for the other birds.
The condemned woman claimed to be the apartment’s owner and that some of the birds found inside belonged to her ex-partner, who also occasionally resided there.
RSPCA NSW had attempted to enter the apartment numerous times before executing a search order at her residence.