A Moscow petting zoo advertised cuddly parrots. Prosecutors found more than 100 of them dead in a freezer.
More than 100 dead birds were found in a freezer at a Moscow lounge, the city prosecutor’s office said. The business — a parrot petting zoo called Popugaynya — is in Moscow’s Taganka neighborhood, the Moscow news agency Moskva said.
The interdistrict environmental prosecutor’s office inspected the lounge after receiving complaints. An examination of the dead birds showed that they had suffered “injuries incompatible with survival.”
The lounge housed a total of more than 200 birds, according to the prosecutor’s office. Prosecutors found numerous violations of animal welfare law, veterinary regulations, and licensing requirements.
A criminal case has been opened into animal cruelty. Those found at fault were also charged with administrative offenses. It was not clear from the prosecutor’s statement what became of the remaining birds.
Update: The lounge attributes the presence of dead birds to “staff negligence.” According to project head Alexey Gorbach, when old birds brought in by visitors die, their remains are placed in a freezer, from which a specialized organization is supposed to collect them. Gorbach said that in reality, the remains had been piling up because administrators “failed to keep track.”
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