27 birds were stolen in the night from Sunday to Monday from an aviary in the Stadswandelpark in Eindhoven. Breeding mother birds are gone, so the eggs will never come out and also birds donated by a deceased member are his way. “Everything is just messed up,” sighs chairman Henk van Hout of the Aviarium bird club.
It is a sad sight: cut mesh and disappointed volunteers. “It’s really bad. This is just brutal,” sighs the 72-year-old Henk. Henk called an alert park visitor on Monday morning with the bad news.
Canaries, zebra finches, grass parakeets and a quail: no more trace of the birds. The mesh of the aviary has been cut. “That is very thick, you don’t just get that broken. We’ve just woven it up again, but it’s not nice.”
The total value of all animals is ‘only’ 75-100 euros. The emotional damage is much greater for the bird club. “A quail was breeding. The eggs will not come out,” Henk mourns.
Also poignant: the birds of a deceased member are his way. “The family wanted to do his two yellow canaries in the aviary. They are gone. Very sad, but we can’t do anything about it.” What does it do to him? “You see that now,” he says, while the tears run down his cheeks.
“We don’t consciously have expensive birds in the cage. You know this can happen,” says Henk. “About four years ago, the aviary was completely emptied.”
No cameras
Cameras do not hang there due to privacy reasons. “The visitors must be able to watch freely and happy.” The association is now considering installing cameras. The club has reported the police. Around 30 more birds are left.
Henk calls himself ‘completely winged’ and is not talking about birds. He has been devoted to the animals since he was six. “It is unimaginable how many people watch the birds every day. Grandpas and grandmothers come with their grandchildren. We get so much respect.” He just tries to withdraw.
The iconic bird cage has been in the park since 1955. The volunteers don’t want to hear anything about stopping. “We just continue.
