A pet shop has been forced to close by animal welfare inspectors after a dead canary was spotted in the window.
Concerns were raised after the discovery of the bright yellow bird inside the window grille on the exterior of Birds 4 Home in Netherfield last month.
Its owner had claimed the bird was ‘left by haters’, but has now been forced to temporarily close his shop after a visit by Gedling Borough Council.
The premises had previously been given an animal licence rating of one star, and the latest inspection found it had not made enough progress.
Owner Ali Malik, who had his license revoked on September 24, said he was working on making improvements and hoped to open again by early December. He said he would take the decision ‘as a lesson’.
Concerns were raised after the discovery of the bright yellow bird inside the window grille (pictured) on the exterior of Birds 4 Home in Netherfield last month.
The premises had previously been given an animal licence rating of one star, and the latest inspection found it had not made enough progress
‘We’re putting in lights all over the shop, changing the walls and flooring, we will make it nice. I want to start afresh,’ he said.
‘It’s very sad but what can we do? It’s part of life, part of business. I will take it as a lesson, try and fix it and do more better stuff.’
Russell Whiting, independent councillor for Colwick who previously raised concerns about the shop, said he welcomed the closure.
‘I think it’s good that a pet shop that had a one star rating is closed, it shouldn’t be allowed to reopen until the welfare of the animals is guaranteed.
‘Birds are animals that need a lot of space, keeping them in a dark shop in cages is something that public would find unacceptable.’
A Gedling Borough Council spokesperson said: ‘Following an inspection of the property by the council, accompanied by an independent vet, a decision was made to refuse Birds 4 Homes with their pet licence.