Deliberate fires mean baby owl cannot be released

The owlet was taken to an animal rescue hospital after being found covered in tree sap

A baby owl rescued by an animal charity will have to live without its parents after volunteers found children setting fires near where it was found.

The owlet was discovered covered in tree sap a week ago and had been attacked by crows before volunteers at Pawz for Thought found it and nursed it back to health.

But, when they attempted to return the bird to its nest in Cleadon Park, South Tyneside, they found children setting fires under nearby trees and undergrowth.

Lynn Ebdale, founder of the charity, said the fires meant the owl had lost its home and "the chance of growing up with his parents".

Pawz for Thought's facilities in Sunderland are not equipped to care for the owlet so it is being transferred to another charity, which is better tailored to its needs.

"He now has to go and live with three other owls up in Blyth," said Ms Ebdale.

"We dare not put him back there."

One of the volunteers tracked down the bird's nest but found children setting fires nearby

Once the owl is fully grown it will be rereleased into the wild.

"Birds do more than just feed their young," Ms Ebdale explained.

"They teach them and nurture them. We can't replicate that but what we can do is grow them to the point where they are fit enough to fly off."

Ms Ebdale said there were increasing numbers of fires being set, which damage habitats for animals.

"This is going on all over the country - it's just awful," she said.

"We've got precious little left as it is and it's all just being destroyed. There are no safe places any more."

Both Northumbria Police and the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said they did not receive a report of a fire in Cleadon Park on Wednesday, so did not attend the scene.