Owl deaths setback for breeding

Raiders targeted two aviaries where the owls were kept

A programme to breed rare owls in the UK has suffered a major setback after two birds were killed by intruders.

Raiders decapitated the African Marsh Owls after getting into the Furness Owls Centre, in Barrow, Cumbria.

Owner Steve Jones was the first person in the UK to breed the owls earlier this year and said the loss of the birds was a devastating blow.

Cumbria Police said they believe the birds were deliberately targeted in Sunday's attack.

The bodies of the two adult females were killed in two separate aviaries.

'Animals chosen'

Mr Jones said: "It was a breed that we had shipped over from Africa ourselves to start the breeding programme off and the success this year, which elated us all, was the start of the programme.

"We are working very closely with Muncaster Castle World Owl Trust and were going to exchange birds with them to start the breeding programme off.

"This is certainly a setback. We have no breeding pair of African Marsh Owls left in the UK now.

"Whoever has done it has picked particular birds that were of particular interest to this collection and they have come in deliberately to hurt us and damage the collection."

Det Con Jack Montague said: "I believe it's a very specific offence in regards to the two animals that were chosen.

"They obviously weren't chosen at random by the people that did this and obviously we think it's to get at Mr Jones in some way."