Chickens, pigeons, ducks and quails were left in cramped, faeces-covered cages on a trailer parked in direct sunlight for days outside a Canberra home this year, the RSPCA says.
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The trailer's owner, a NSW man, was last week convicted in the ACT Magistrates Court of failing to provide proper shelter for the birds and fined $1665.
Inspectors were called to the Macquarie home on Wednesday, April 1, this year.
They found about 93 birds in 15 cages. The animals became more and more distressed as they were increasingly exposed to the sun.
"As this occurred, the poultry were seen pressing against and climbing over each other in an obvious attempt to escape the direct sunlight," the RSPCA said in a statement.
"During the duration that inspectors were present there was a noticeable increase in the temperature."
The ducks had no water, while the other cages did not allow enough room for the birds to open their wings, the RSPCA said.
The quails were left only a small amount of water, and struggled to get to their food container.
The cages were covered in faeces, the RSPCA said.
The owner of the trailer was said to have left the birds there on the previous Sunday, telling the home owner he would come back a day later.
He still had not arrived by Wednesday, prompting the RSPCA to seize the birds.
RSPCA chief executive officer Tammy Ven Dange said she was surprised the birds survived, given the length of time they had been stuck in the cages and exposed to the conditions.
"When you see the size of the trailer and the number of birds involved, it's hard to believe that they all fit in that tiny space," she said.
RSPCA senior inspector Catherine Croatto warned all cruelty will be investigated, even if perpetrated against animals the community may consider less important.
The organisation has dramatically ramped up its efforts to combat animal cruelty this year, seizing hundreds of animals and frequently referring briefs of evidence to the Director of Public Prosecutions to pursue criminal charges.
The shift has seen the RSPCA strained by the cost of housing animals while their owners go through lengthy court proceedings.
That burden has not been helped by decisions in the ACT Magistrates Court that make the RSPCA ineligible for reparation payments from animal cruelty offenders.
