Overview
- Brandon Hodge, 28, admitted two neglect charges at Greenock Sheriff Court and received a 12-month supervision order plus 90 hours of unpaid work.
- Police and Scottish SPCA inspectors found 18 birds tethered inside tiny, stacked cages at a Kilmacolm home in May 2024, with surfaces encrusted with faeces and waste.
- Inspectors reported an overpowering stench, maggots and insects, and enclosures too small for the birds to spread their wings.
- One Harris Hawk was euthanised due to its condition, while a Eurasian eagle owl had damaged wing feathers and an American kestrel was missing a foot, with many anklets fouled by faeces.
- Many birds have since been rehomed across Scotland, including placements at Edinburgh Zoo and the Scottish Owl Centre, as prosecutors signalled continued enforcement of animal-welfare laws.