The sparrowhawk was rescued. He was in bad shape Photo: Sven Meissner
By Sara Orlos Fernandes
He was crammed into a small cage on the balcony and usually only got a few grains to eat… A man had caught the sparrow hawk in Hellersdorf. But the police and animal rights activists stopped him.
The poor sparrowhawk should be hawked on ebay classifieds. But the Heartless owner was caught in the act.
A woman discovered the dealer on the online platform and alerted the police. With the help of animal rights activist Stefan Klippstein (38), two decoys were hired, who met the man in a hallway on Lubminer Straße last Saturday.
This is how the animal dealer presented the sparrowhawk on eBay classifieds. First he wanted 1000, later even 10,000 euros for the bird Photo: Klipstein
The police were able to secure the bird and search the pet dealer’s home. The sparrow hawk was in poor condition and was taken to a veterinary clinic.
“He has suffered significant plumage damage. He was also fed grains that he can’t even eat,” says animal expert Klippsein. The birds feed on mice, rats or small birds.
The bird of prey was penned up in this small cage Photo: Sven Meissner
Before meeting the potential buyers, the retailer wanted to negotiate the price. In the chat he suddenly asked for 10,000 euros instead of 1000! “Wild-caught birds of prey are worth a fortune on the black market,” says Klippstein.
A complaint was filed against the heartless owner for hunting poaching and violation of the Animal Welfare Act.