CONVICTED (2021) | Filip Pawel Kuczkowski, born 12 February 1979, of Laxey Road, Rotton Park, Birmingham B16 0JG but with strong links to Kidderminster – kept 20 malnourished chinchillas crammed into tiny cages inside his home.

RSPCA inspector Jon Ratcliffe was called to an address in Laxey Road on October 20, 2020, after receiving reports that a number of chinchillas had been left inside unattended for some time.

After receiving no reply, he looked through the letterbox and spotted a dead animal at the bottom on a cage. He then called the police to help him gain entry into the property.

To their horror, they discovered 19 chinchillas in cages with empty water bottles. One animal was trapped inside a cage and despite the efforts of a vet had to be put down.

The rest were thin, injured after fighting with each other and underfed.

Inspector Ratcliffe said: “The chinchillas inside the cages clambered frantically to get to the water bottles to be able to drink. It was clear these animals had been deprived of water for some considerable time.

“My attention was drawn to one chinchilla who appeared to be trapped and wedged in between the wire of the cage and an internal ramp.

“I gently freed the animal but he was in very poor bodily condition and collapsed; the animal was suffering and needed immediate veterinary assistance so I drove directly to an emergency vets who sadly had to put the chinchilla to sleep because of the severity of his condition.

“The remaining chinchillas were removed from the cages.

“There were seven live chinchillas in the right hand cage nearest the front door, in addition to the deceased chinchilla I had originally seen from the letterbox and the chinchilla who I had rushed to the vet.

“A second cage contained a further ten chinchillas.

“I was again struck by how thin many of them were, how many of them had very poor quality coats and some appeared to have injuries or bites consistent with fighting with other animals.”

The surviving chinchillas were taken to RSPCA Newbrook Farm Animal Hospital where they received care and treatment before being made available for rehoming.

Polish national Filip Pawel Kuczkowski, who has a previous conviction for drink driving while living in Kidderminster, pleaded guilty to six animal welfare offences.

Sentencing | 100 hours of unpaid work; 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement days; £495 in costs and charges. Banned from keeping animals for five years (expires June 2026).

Birmingham Mail