Man handed unpaid work after keeping 18 birds of prey in filthy cages

A man has been handed unpaid work after 18 birds of prey were discovered in filthy cages within a Renfrewshire home.

Brandon Hodge kept the animals in cages stacked on top of each other, which were encrusted with faecal matter and waste.

The surrounding area was strewn with rubbish, maggots and insects.

Brandon Hodge, 28, was sentenced at Greenock Sheriff Court on Tuesday after he admitted two charges of animal neglect.

The 28-year-old was handed a 12-month supervision order and ordered to carry out 90 hours of unpaid work.

This article contains images and details some readers may find distressing.

Vets ‘brought to tears’

Police officers and inspectors discovered the animals after searching a property in Kilmalcolm in May 2024.

Inspectors described the smell in the house as “overpowering” and the conditions were “among the worst they had ever witnessed”.

Experienced vets were “brought to tears” upon discovering the conditions the birds were kept in.

Birds of prey and owls were found trapped in filthy carriers
Scottish SPCA

Nine varieties of owls, three American kestrels and a red footed falcon were discovered within the carriers.

They had no food or water and were covered in dirt, food, feathers and faecal matter.

A Harris Hawk had to be euthanised due to its poor condition.

The birds were found with no water provided or space to stretch wings. Scottish SPCA

A Eurasian eagle owl was found to have broken feathers on its right wing while an American kestrel was missing a foot.

Several birds also had anklets attached to them which were dirty and badly contaminated with faeces.

Many of the animals were later successfully rehomed in locations across Scotland, ranging from Edinburgh Zoo to the Scottish Owl Centre in West Lothian.

Anne Marie Hicks, procurator fiscal for North Strathclyde, said: “This was a shocking case of animal neglect.

“Brandon Hodge showed no regard for the welfare of these birds, which were kept in appalling conditions.

“The harm they suffered was unimaginable and the public will rightly be appalled.

“Hodge has now been held accountable following this prosecution and we will continue to prosecute crimes where there is a sufficiency of evidence and it is in the public interest to do so.”