Owl "Cruelty"

A falconer whose owls starred in the Harry Potter films has admitted a string of animal cruelty offences. Kenneth Lea, 50, who has now had his birds removed from his care, pleaded guilty to 17 charges relating to the animals between March and June last year. Lea, whose nine eagle owls were snapped up by Warner Brothers to star in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, left bird aviaries in a state of squalor, a court heard. He admitted the offences regarding 42 birds of prey and 11 chickens he kept at Old Park Farm in Wakefield, West Yorks. In 2005, nine eagle owls kept at the site were signed up by cinema giant Warner Brothers for the multi-million pound international blockbuster film. The birds appeared in a scene in which Harry goes to the owlry to send a letter to his godfather Sirius Black. They spent three months with trainers employed by Birds and Animals UK for their acting debut. Wakefield Magistrates Court was told that the RSPCA were called on June 30 last year as Lea was being evicted from the premises and found a mass of aviaries in disgusting conditions. Birds including owls, falcons and Harris hawks some worth as much as £3,000 were found with foot injuries and in an emaciated state due to a poor diet. Ian Drummond, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said a specialist vet was called who examined the birds and found they were dehydrated or were suffering from debilitating injuries including leg wounds, overgrown beaks and swollen and clubbed feet. In her statement she said: "Although I have seen plenty of unhygienic enclosures, never in my entire professional life have I encountered premises this squalid and dirty. "The best expression to describe the state of the entire farm would be filthy, squalid abandon." The vet advised the RSPCA to take the birds into their care. Unemployed Lea, now of Bradford, West Yorks., was interviewed and admitted that he struggled to care for the birds as he then worked night shifts as a driver. He said he had not taken any animals to the vets for three years and was looking after them reasonably well until around a month before he was evicted. Lea, who was not represented, indicated to the court following the prosecution summary that he wished to seek legal advice and possible change of his pleas to not guilty. He said: "For many years I worked for a centre going out voluntarily rescuing animals. "All the birds were well-cared for and looked after most of the time. I know I could have done more in the last month or so. I am guilty of some things but nothing like what they are trying to make out." Chairwoman Linda Sturch advised Lea to seek legal advice regarding his pleas and adjourned the case until next month. TheTamshee says: there is no excuse for Mr Lea's cruel treatment of these majestic birds, having them in captivity is crime enough - birds of prey need to be free to patrol the sky's and hunt their own food - not be tagged and imprisoned in squalid conditions. The British Justice system will surely work it's magic on this sad case: Guilty, Sentance +/- 100 hours community service i would imagine, without infringing Mr Lea's human rights off course.