All Pets

87-Year-Old Man Robbed of His 500 Canaries

the daily dish More on PawNation: Birds, Canaries, Crime, Legal, Miami, Sad, The Dish, Weird

By Kelli Bender Aug 16th 2012

Miami police are on the hunt for a truly crafty cat burglar. According to WFOR-TV, a thief managed to steal 500 canaries from the home of an 87-year-old man who raised the birds as a hobby. Officials believe the thief and an accomplice sneaked into the owner's house at night while he was on vacation, and removed all the birds.

Originally unsure who committed the crime, authorities now have video of their main suspect at a pet store. The bird burglar was at the shop selling some of the stolen animals. So far, the man has sold about 150 of the orange-and-yellow canaries to three different pet stores around the area. These birds have been seized and returned to the owner.

The clerk at one of the pet stores that bought the birds told WFOR that the suspect came in with a young girl and said he was selling them because they belonged to his grandfather, and that his alleged relative was now ill. If the thief sells all the canaries, he could end up making close to $15,000.

RELATED: Flamingos Persuaded to Mate by Marvin Gaye Music

Police hope to catch the man before he has this opportunity. Officials are canvasing the area, looking for witnesses and people who may recognize the caught-on-camera suspect.

The canaries' original owner has now given up his hobby of raising the birds after 20 years. The elderly man claimed he was too upset to talk to WFOR, but his daughter did share some of what her father is going through, saying, "I feel terrible. This shouldn't have been done, especially since it was my Dad's hobby. He enjoyed it very much and was disappointed when it happened."

RELATED: Amazing Massive Animal Rescues

Authorities hope to have the man responsible in custody soon, and they are optimistic now that they have a video of the suspect.

Meet Adorable Adoptable Birds: