A pair of abandoned chicks were recovered from Cranford Park last week and are now safely in the hands of the RSPCA.

The two chicks a grey one and a black one of unknown breeds were discovered by a passer-by in the park as they could be heard chirping away in their box.

They had been abandoned and shut into a cardboard box filled with sawdust and paper as bedding and a bag of chicken feed.

The passer-by called the RSPCA then took the birds home before they were taken to an RSPCA centre by inspector Hannah Nixon.

The birds will be looked after at the centre until they are fit and healthy and a suitable home can be found for them.

Nixon said: “Who knows what might have happened to these chicks if they hadn’t been found. It’s really worrying to think someone thought it was okay to abandon them in the middle of a park.”

The RSPCA recommends that if you can no longer look after an animal reach out to friends and family or a charity, abandoning them puts them at unnecessary risk.

Nixon added: “They had left a bag of food and some bedding, which suggests they did mean well and were trying to make sure the birds were comfortable, but abandoning an animal is never the right thing to do.” 

According to the RSPCA, owners should prepare to own chickens as much as they would any other pet.

They say there are currently around 500,000 domestic fowl in Britain as more people look to more ethical ways of consuming eggs and chicken.

Over last summer 16,500 animals were abandoned in London and the numbers shot up again over lockdown as well as the charity received 40 calls a day about abandonments.

Contact RSPCA on 0300 123 8181 or visit their website.