Animal lovers horrified

Nest nailed up out of anger: Locked up to die

Young redstarts had to starve to death in Eferding because animal abusers had nailed up the entrance hole to the nest

(Bild: Alois Litzlbauer)

Young birds starved to death helplessly in their nest because animal abusers had blocked the parents' way. The motive seems to be where the bird parents raised their brood: They were apparently causing a disturbance. Experts explain when nests can be removed and that such actions are also legally risky.

"Shame on you, you animal haters" - Adelheid F. left a note at a car park in a residential complex in Eferding. "I used to watch a redstart fly into the hole in the ceiling to feed its young. Then the hole was nailed shut" - the animal rights activist removed the cover, but "the young had starved to death". The suspected motive for the crime: there were cars under the hole and they were soiled by the birds' droppings. "The car owner denied everything, but I filed a complaint with the district authority and the official veterinarian," says the pensioner. She also called the property management company, where she was told that "the hole was only closed after the breeding season".