Man who kept birds of prey in ‘appalling’ conditions banned from owning animals

A man who kept owls and large birds of prey in conditions so bad that one vet was reduced to tears has been banned from owning or keeping animals for five years.

Brandon Hodge, 28, admitted two charges of animal neglect after police found 18 birds tethered inside tiny cages at a house in Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire, in May 2024.

The Crown Office said most of the cages were found stacked on top of each other and encrusted with faecal matter and waste.

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

Scottish SPCA inspectors said the smell inside the property was “overpowering”, and that the conditions were among the worst they had ever witnessed.

The birds found included nine varieties of owl, three American kestrels and a red-footed falcon.

One bird – a Harris Hawk – had to be euthanised due to its poor condition.

Hodge was disqualified from owning or keeping animals for five years at a hearing at Greenock Sheriff Court on Tuesday, the Crown Office said.

He was also made the subject of a 12-month supervision order and ordered to carry out 90 hours of unpaid work.

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.”

The Crown Office said the birds had no food or water and were covered in dirt, food, feathers and faecal matter.

The cages were too small for them to even spread their wings.

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.