THE Madrid Municipal Police have rescued two Aratinga parrots, a genus of American parakeets, which were about to be cooked in an Asian food restaurant in the Usera district.
The birds were seized by Usera officers during the course of a routine inspection carried out in the establishment on Saturday December 18.
The parakeets were found in the kitchen of the Chinese restaurant, crammed into a plastic container, without food or water and next to the cooker where there were two cauldrons with boiling water and sauce and it is presumed that they were going to be cooked alive.
According to a police spokesperson, officers asked both the owners of the restaurant and the cooks about the purpose and origin of the birds, however no answers were given. Neither could the restaurant owners provide the relevant documentation for the birds, who are not native to Spain.
Additionally, cartons and plastic bags with defrosting meat in poor conditions were found on the kitchen floor together with other incorrectly labelled products.
The establishment, which only has the menu in the Oriental language, has been reported for serious serious health and hygiene deficiencies, meanwhile the birds have been transferred to the Wild Animal Recovery Centre (CRAS).
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