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Pet chickens stolen from allotment
CHICKEN rustlers nabbed a clutch of beloved pet birds from an allotment.
Catalina Tate was devastated when she discovered six of her precious chickens had been stolen from their coop overnight.
Now she is putting up a reward for anyone who can return her rare chickens, which include a Light Sussex Bantam, Buff Sussex Bantam, Marans and Blue Laced Wyandottes.
Catalina, of Philadelphia, said: "These chickens are pets so this is like having a cat or dog stolen.
"I don't treat them as livestock. They are pets and they're very personal to me, any eggs we get are a bonus really. They even have their own names. I'm absolutely devastated.
"They're not your typical brown hens, they're quite distinctive so if anyone sees them they will know."
The thieves left behind seven chickens after the raid, which bird crazy Catalina, 28, keeps at her allotment off Voltage Terrace.
Catalina revealed she searched far and wide to find the perfect poultry to keep, which have now gone missing.
"Some of the chickens came from a poultry sale in Stoke, others came from a rare bird sale in York and the others were sourced locally.
"I just want them back."
Catalina decided to start keeping her feathered friends two-and-a-half years ago when she launched her online business, www.gardenfeathers.co.uk which specialises in selling chicken-related gifts and paraphernalia.
She said: "Keeping the chickens is a bit of a hobby really.
"I did a bit of research on the Internet and found chickens have been stolen up and down the country recently.
"It seems they are being taken from gardens, allotments and poultry shows because of the rising interest in keeping chickens.
"They're not really valuable, but because a lot of people are starting to keep them in their gardens they can quickly be sold on to someone else."
The theft is believed to have taken place between 6pm on Friday and 9am on Saturday.
Neighbourhood Inspector Graham Finlay said: "Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of the chickens or anyone who has any details on who is responsible for the thefts should contact police."
Anyone who has any information is asked to phone police on 03456 043 043, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or Catalina on 07887 873 460.
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Weather for Sunderland
Friday 10 February 2012
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