Cold-hearted thieves broke into a special needs school in Walsall, England, this week to steal the most unlikely of treasures: dozens of their precious lovebirds.
According to the Walsall Advertiser, “The louts struck at Jane Lane school in Churchill Road, Bentley at some point late on Wednesday night (May 4).” The children are heartbroken because the recently hatched baby birds may now die.
Natalie Brereton, head of English, told the Advertiser: “Thieves have broken into the children’s avery and stolen love birds. We suspect they got in through the field at the back of the school and used a crowbar to break into the avery. They threw boxes of food around too.
“The birds are an important part of the children’s education and are used with students who struggle emotionally and socially to deal with the idea of responsibility and compassion. They are of no real value.
“The thieves left the baby birds who recently hatched. We are now concerned they will die.
“We are a special educational needs school so this has obviously devastated the students. They are all over the place and are beyond upset as they belong to them; they cannot understand why this has happened.”
Officers at West Midlands Police are now investigating the theft.
Pupils at the school wrote open letters to the thieves and read them on the air with the hope that they will see their pleas and return the 60 stolen birds. It’s worth a try, anyway. The stolen birds were used as therapy for the special needs children.
The children really let the “louts” have it.
“Dear nasty robbers,” wrote one girl. “You are selfish idiots. How dare you take our beautiful birds from us?”
“Dear naughty thieves, I am writing to you that I am furious with their behaviour,” chastised a young boy.
Another boy wrote: “Every beautiful bird has a purpose. They calm people down, help people when they cry, now bad people have stolen them and that’s not helping anyone.”
Pupils in #Walsall have written open letters to thieves who stole 60 birds from their school. pic.twitter.com/GZnK0jSqqF
— BBC Midlands Today (@bbcmtd) May 5, 2017
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