This was the dramatic moment police and RSPCA officers smashed an illegal bird trading ring being run out of an east London pub.
CCTV footage from The Bell in Leytonstone shows several men huddled in the beer garden desperately scatter as officers file in through the front door.
They can be seen hiding cages containing canaries and goldfinches underneath benches before climbing over walls to evade arrest.
Officers found 40 cages while simultaneous raids at three other addresses uncovered more than 270 birds in what investigators said was one of the biggest ever seizures of wild birds in the UK.
An RSPCA officer who led the investigation, but cannot be named for operational reasons, said: ‘When we went into the pub on February 2, 2019, we found a large group of men had congregated inside and outside in the beer garden, many carrying small bird cages.
‘We discovered 40 cages of wild birds including goldfinches, linnets and a siskin, as well as 27 canaries and mules (or crossbred birds).
‘We also executed warrants at three private addresses where we found a number of wild birds being kept illegally.
‘At one home, we discovered 190 wild birds being kept in cages, including 165 goldfinches.’
The footage was released following the conviction and sentence of the last of 17 men prosecuted over their role in the illegal wildlife trade.
RSPCA chief inspector Will Mitchell said: ‘The illegal trapping and trading in wild birds has long been a problem. Taking a wild bird from its natural habitat and shutting it in a tiny cage is cruel.
‘These birds can suffer immeasurably, not only physically but also mentally, and they often die shortly after being captured.’
Detective Constable Tara Wilson, of the Met’s Wildlife Crime Unit, said: ‘All wild British birds, their nests and eggs are protected in UK law.
‘Birds taken from the wild often get injured and do not live long after capture, due to the shock and trauma from free flying and then being confined to a cage.
‘I hope this case reassures the public we will do everything in our power to detect, deter and disrupt wildlife crime.’
All the wild birds were taken into care by the RSPCA, with more than 150 going to the charity’s Mallydams Wildlife Centre in East Sussex where staff set about rehabilitating and releasing them.
The crossbred birds and domestic species were all successfully rehomed.
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