A TORFAEN woman who has been shielding during the coronavirus pandemic says she has been left devastated after ten of her beloved pet birds were stolen from her garden.
Keen bird-keeper Caroline Smallcombe, who lives in Garndiffaith, says her back garden was broken into overnight between Friday and Saturday, and a group of her precious birds were stolen.
Caroline Smallcombe
Taken were two German Pekins, two Crested Runners, two Apricot Calls, one grey Muscovy Drake, one black and white Muscovy Drake, and three red Silkie chickens.
The house's mailbox was also smashed during the break-in.
Caroline Smallcombe's birds which were stolen at some point overnight on Friday and Saturday
Ms Smallcombe, who has been shielding during the pandemic and says the birds kept her positive, says one of her friends has since seen one of the Muscovy Drakes in a nearby river, and Ms Smallcombe says she’s certain the bird will now have died.
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“It’s very upsetting because I’d hand reared that one, and it can’t fly so it will almost certainly be dead by now,” she said. “It’s less valuable than the others, so I think the thieves must have realised that and dumped it.
“I’ve had all of them roughly a year – although I’ve kept birds all my life and have never had any stolen.”
Caroline Smallcombe's birds which were stolen at some point overnight on Friday and Saturday
Ms Smallcombe thanked neighbours and friends, who she says have been “really lovely and are on the lookout”.
“There are so many kind people on Facebook who have also spread the word, and I’ve had so many lovely messages.
Caroline Smallcombe's birds, which were stolen at some point overnight on Friday and Saturday
“I’m in the shielding group so my pets have kept me cheery through lockdown. It’s a shame I allowed them to free roam. But 99.9 per cent of people stop to chat over the fence and are fascinated by them.”
A spokeswoman for Gwent Police said: "We had a report of the theft of three chickens and eight ducks overnight. It was reported to us at about 6pm on January 30.
"If anyone has any information, they can call Gwent Police on 101, quoting 2100035126, or direct message on Facebook or Twitter."
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