A PENSIONER who has been breeding Fife canaries for 35 years is distraught after burglars broke in and stole his treasured birds.
The victim, 76, checked on his birds at midnight on Friday night, but when he checked them again at 8am Saturday morning 11, worth about £110 but invaluable to the elderly breeder, were gone.
The theft, from a detached garage at the man's home in Middle Lane in Ringwood, has destroyed his breeding programme.
A police spokesman said: “It is a rare and unusual incident in which canaries have been stolen.
"There is a small and distinctive market for selling these birds on and police are appealing to potential buyers to be on the lookout for suspicious sellers, unusual habitats for the birds or sellers who are not registered and are not the breeders.
"The victim has been breeding canaries for 35 years and is retired. He has now lost the canaries he would be breeding for next year and this has caused him great upset.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact PC Stephanie Rudland 25652 at Lymington on 101.
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