Brauer said his employees discovered as many as 30 dead birds in and around the home at 2063 W. Ohio 55 in Troy. Workers who rescued the birds said feces and raw peanuts covered the floor of the entire house, and there are physical signs birds were destroying each other.
Ratcliff would not comment, only to say Brauer’s group “stole” his birds. Brauer’s office produced a document signed by Ratcliff on Aug. 3 that gave them permission to remove 10 birds from the home.
“I was horrified by what I saw,” said veterinary technician Jim Tinnell, who claims he convinced Ratcliff to let him remove 10 birds from the home that could be saved. “I’ve never seen anything like it in my 40 years of caring for animals.”
Brauer said members of the Miami Valley Bird Club were notified weeks ago that about 100 birds were inside Ratcliff’s home, which had been condemned for some time. Ratcliff left the home because of health complications, but was still purchasing the birds at local auctions, club members and veterinary workers said.
He would then release the birds into the home.
Workers from Brauer’s office said they believe Ratcliff loved the birds but could not care for them properly.
Many of the birds removed from the home were missing all or most of their feathers and showed serious signs of starvation, Tinnell said.
Bird club members and clinic workers said they have notified the Miami County Prosecutor’s Office and the Miami County Humane Society of the situation, but have yet to receive help from law enforcement in seizing the animals.
Officials from the Miami County Humane Society did not return calls seeking comment.
“Apparently there is no state law relating to cruelty or treatment of these types of birds,” Tinnell said. “We are trying to figure out what our options are.”
The Ohio Revised Code states that cruelty to animals, including depriving one of necessary sustenance, is a crime punishable by jail time and/or fines.
Ratcliff is trying to sell some of the birds, which are sold for between $800 and $2,000 at local pet stores, and does not want to let them go for free, Tinnell said. The 10 birds taken from Ratcliff’s home will be nursed back to health and released to bird sanctuaries around the country.
Brauer, whose practice specializes in caring from exotic animals, said he plans to rescue as many birds as he can from Ratcliff’s home and will seek help from local law enforcement.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2494 or lsullivan@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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