BIRD THIEVES RUN RAMPANT
by David Johnson
&
 JUSTICE SERVED
by Damian Dunemann

This article contains two parts: the initial storey was published in the Parrot Society of Australia News (Sep/Oct 1996) and the subsequent update in 1998 at the conclusion of the District Court Trial:

• Bird Thieves Run Rampant (1996)
• Justice Served (1998)

Bird Thieves Run Rampant (Sep 1996)

Some of the many joys of being an aviculturist are boasting about your successful breeding season and showing off your latest additions…

Unfortunately there are some "low-lifes" out there who have no hesitation in helping themselves to our birds. These range from juveniles looking for quick money to professionals who know what’s worth taking.

Our member had recently taken out a loan to buy himself three pair of Green-cheeked Conures (Pyrrhura molinae) and a pair of Maroon-bellied Conures (Pyrrhura frontalis). The birds were valued at over $20,000 and the member didn’t have insurance for them. He had a love for breeding birds and was always keen to buy something new and different.

He received a phone call from someone claiming he was from the Glass House Mountains area. He stated he had seen an ad in the Australian Birdkeeper magazine and asked if he could come up and have a look at the birds. Our member replied "Come up for a drive and have a look".

Later two men and a woman arrived to look at the birds. Our member noted the vehicle they were driving and asked his wife to write down the registration number. (He thought the vehicle looked a bit suspicious). The visitors signed the visitor’s book and were proudly shown around the aviaries.

The next day our member went through his normal routine of feeding the birds. He went to his aviaries and was horrified to find the Tek screws had been undone and the door removed. As he checked his birds, he was devastated to find the three pair of Green-cheeked Conures and the pair of Maroon-bellied Conures missing. A further investigation found a sock and rubber band inside one flight.

The Police were contacted and the matter reported immediately. Suspicion surrounded the visitors from the day before. All relevant information, including the details of the vehicle and information in the visitors book was given to the Police.

The next most important thing our member did was to contact other aviculturists, as well as local and interstate dealers. As the birds stolen are 'out of the ordinary', the more people looking out for them, the better the chance of locating them.

Sydney dealers reported hearing of a so called Sock Gang, who stole birds by placing them into socks. Word on the local market was that orders would be taken for any species you are interested in.

Some members have the theory that these thieves want the birds for their own breeding stock, others believe they sell them for profit. Whatever the reason, this recent result has left one honest, hard-working aviculturist devastated and in debt over birds he may never get to enjoy.

When I have spoken with other aviculturists who were also the victims of theft a number of issues stood out. In some cases, the thieves entered the aviaries, bypassed the first flight and went directly for selected, more valuable birds. To do this of a night time meant they must have some knowledge of what birds are kept and where.

Take Precautions

Anytime anyone visits your aviaries you should always make a note of who they are and what vehicle they arrived in. When recording vehicle details, remember the make and colour as well as the registration number. It always pays to have someone write this down straight away. For every bird or goods sold by me, I have written down the vehicle details on the back of my receipt before they drove off.

Don’t ever be afraid to ask for proof of identification and/or a referee before allowing anyone to visit your aviaries.

Any honest aviculturist would fully understand and gladly oblige. Just remind them of the number of bird thefts occurring lately and state you adopt this as a standard procedure for ALL visitors. If they supply someone as a referee, contact that person and confirm details before you show anyone your aviaries.

Next, and most importantly - take a description of your birds. Although it is impossible to identify every one of your birds, some of them may have distinctive features.

Note any toes missing, any unusual wing or feather problems etc which make the bird unique or identifiable to you. Document these features and include photographs where possible.

If members pass on details of fellow aviculturists they should have the common courtesy to telephone the person concerned first and ask if it is ok. We’ve had examples of strangers just arriving without prior warning at members homes in remote, private areas. This causes a lot of concern as the visitors often show up uninvited and unexpected.

Just recently I looked into a number of bird thefts for this year and some of the results are astounding. One aviculturist lost a number of parrots and they were recorded merely as "a number of birds stolen". What help is that to anyone who may have located them and is now trying to find the owner.

Another aviculturist was contacted by the local Wildlife Ranger after having his birds stolen. When he attended the office and viewed the birds he was unable to positively identify any of them. Consequently the Ranger had no choice other than to surrender them to the Crown, as the suspect did not have any licences or history of how he had acquired the birds.

Thieves take any kind of birds. I have personally had the sickening experience of not only losing aviary birds, but pet birds also. That’s like taking a part of your family away.

The Queensland Council of Bird Societies (QCBS) established a Stolen Bird Hot List several years ago. Anyone who has birds stolen is asked to contact the Council and allow them to relay relevant information to affiliated societies. Most club bird stewards should be advised, as they deal with people everyday with birds for sale etc. Remember, your personal details can be kept confidential and only relevant information passed onto the clubs to help keep a look out.

I would strongly urge anyone who has birds stolen to contact the Police and local Wildlife Rangers immediately and provide as accurate a description as possible regarding the stolen birds and method of entry into the aviaries. Advise Wildlife Rangers of both native and non-native birds as they may come across them in their travels. Also inform Police of any recent visitors to your aviaries.

Then, make sure you contact your local dealers including Pet Shops, followed by fellow aviculturists and a trip to the local markets. You’d be surprised what turns up in some of these places.

If your birds are recovered, positive identification and proof of owner-ship becomes a big issue. If you have documented evidence of unique characteristics of any of your birds, it will help. Photographs don’t go astray either. Most rings can easily be removed so, where possible, consider a more secure measure such as microchipping.

Justice Served (Apr 1998)

The reign of the bird thieves who terrorised South Queensland and the New South Wales border area during 1996 ended in the Brisbane District Court on the 28th April 1998.

 During a four -month period they had stolen 17 Sun Conures, 4 Nanday Conures, 9 Janday Conures, 10 Maroon-bellied Conures, 8 Green-cheeked Conures and 2 Plumhead Parrots from five Aviculturists with a market value of approximately $87,000.

Thanks to inquiries and communication between avid true aviculturists over nearly two years, 20 of the Conures were located and returned to their owners.  It is strongly believed that some of the rarer Conures that were not located, namely Maroon-bellied and Green-cheekeds, passed through the hands of a dealer; however, conclusive evidence could not be obtained.

The tenacious inquiries of Detective Sergeant Mike Gordon of the Queensland Police Service Task Force are much appreciated by the aviculturists whom were the victims of the robberies.  Some have suffered health and financial problems during the two years directly attributed to the robberies.

Andrew Shane Johnson, was sentenced to serve two months imprisonment and a further period of three and a half years imprisonment suspended for a a period of three years.

The third member of the gang, Paul Ian Browne, who had pleaded guilty at his committal hearing in October 1997, passed away earlier in 1998 prior to sentencing.

The moral of this storey for all aviculturists is to not just lay down and accept the loss if you have birds stolen.  You have to pursue your legal rights and follow the matter through to the end.  Use the aviculture network to your advantage.  It is full of information.

On the other side it is still a disgrace that there are aviculturists or dealers out there whom only too quickly see a quick 'buck' buying or dealing in cheap stolen birds.

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