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38 budgies die at show





Mystery surrounds the deaths of up to 38 prize budgies during a show at a church hall.

Owners and organisers rushed to get around 350 cages outside after the birds began falling off their perches at Y Felinheli, Gwynedd.

Show organisers said the dead birds were spread across the hall.

A member of the Parochial Church Council said thorough investigations had been carried out, and no cause for the deaths had been discovered.

Retired pet shop owner Dave Cottrell, 55, who lost 10 birds at the show, said: "I was preparing the certificates as the birds were being put in order when the steward came over and said he had a dead one.

"Then another steward came over and said he had two or three dead.

"And within seconds a third steward said he had more dead," he said.

Mr Cottrell, who has 200 birds and been a fancier for 35 years, thinks a boiler or oven flue could have been temporarily blocked, forcing out fumes.

Robert Hughes, 34, who organised the annual open show said: "The birds were spread across the hall.

"Five minutes after the first one died eleven more had gone, one was mine."

Mr Hughes said the decision was taken to remove all the 350 cages from the hall into the fresh air, which probably saved a lot of other birds.

"Nobody in the community has seen or heard anything like this before," he added.

"It's been bizarre - and very difficult to get over it."

Len Williams, who is a member of the Parochial Church Council in the village, said the hall had been closed whilst checks were carried out.

He said that despite carbon monoxide detectors being put near all the gas heaters, along with the cooker and water heater, nothing could be found which could have caused the deaths.

"We'd heard it was up to 18 birds which had died, but we were more concerned about the cause, " he said.

Mr Williams said the heating had been off at the time of the show at the request of the organisers, who did not want it too warm for the birds.

"The hall has now been given the all-clear by health and safety, and we are taking bookings again," he added.


THE BBC

Fright or a bad guff?

An illustration of why they had canaries down mines? Sounds like some noxious fumes somewhere.

I blame the vicar.

Don't the welsh normally use Canaries to detect gas. Were moving back to ZULU.

You'll be telling me that the Welsh had ponies down pits next.

I think they were sheep covered in coal dust.

I read about that on TWITTER.