A Lalor man, who owned and managed a Campbellfield pet shop, has been banned from being in charge of any animals for 10 years.
Haidar Al-Khirsany faced Broadmeadows Magistrates Court on July 7 where he pleaded guilty to a number of offences relating to 12 birds that were seized from his King Pets store.
The RSPCA seized the birds in May, 2014.
It said a number of them were housed in poor conditions, with some requiring veterinary treatment.
Others were in poor body condition, and these were later surrendered to the RSPCA.
Al-Khirsany was charged with a number of offences by RSPCA Victoria.
They related to confining an animal, failing to provide veterinary treatment and failing to provide appropriate food.
He was fined $1000 without conviction and banned from being in charge of an animal for 10 years.
RSPCA Victoria prosecutor Daniel Bode said the 10-year ban reflected the severity of neglect that had been uncovered.
He said some of the birds had chronic deformity of their beaks, while others were suffering from feather loss.
One bird had a sunken eye, which had no vision, while another had lice and Psittacosis, which is a highly contagious zoonotic disease.
“The general living conditions of the pet store were extremely poor,” Mr Bode said.
“Several aviaries contained a deep layer of faeces on the floor underneath a superficial layer of shredded paper.
“It was obvious the cages had not been cleaned in weeks or months,” he said.
“A veterinarian examination found the condition of the birds was consistent with crowding, stress and bullying.
“It is only fitting that the person who failed to give these birds the care they require has been banned from being in charge of any animal.”
