11 months ago
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A FUMING parrot-keeper blames cage fighter Conor McGregor for the death of one of his prized birds.
David Dunne said his £1,300 parakeet suffered a heart attack after test drilling at a huge nearby building project backed by the UFC star.
Conor McGregor has been blamed by a fuming-parrot keeper for the death of one of his prized birdsAP
David Dunne, 37, of Drimnagh, Dublin, blames noisy test drilling at a building project backed by the UFC star for killing one of his parrotsPaul Sharp/SHARPPIXDavid, 37, of Drimnagh, Dublin, has a 30-strong collection of exotic birds.
He said: “Once the works started, it was so noisy. It really stressed all my birds out.”
David said some of his exotic collection were so traumatised by the noise they started pulling their own feathers out.
He added: “It has caused a lot of grief and stress.
“The noise from the drilling killed one of my birds.”
David told how his prized £1,300 lutino conure parakeet suffered a heart attack after test drilling at the site close to his home.
In a blast at UFC star Conor’s property company, David continued: “Once the works started, it was so noisy.
“It really stressed all my birds out. Some of them started plucking their feathers out due to stress. So I had to do something.”
Distraught David, 37 — who has a 30-strong collection including parakeets, Amazon parrots, macaws and African greys — says he contacted one of Conor’s firms.
He said the birds’ “peace and tranquillity” had been shattered
He explained: “I rang and told McGregor’s company about it.
“They came around and saw the bird dead and said, ‘Sorry, sorry about that, we’ll do something, we’ll do something’.
“I rang about it again and they said they would replace the bird.
“They said they would compensate for the loss of the bird and they didn’t.
“When push came to shove, they basically didn’t do anything.”
David believes he had an agreement that the firm would help move the parrots to a location away from the site in Drimnagh, Dublin.
But he said he was left “angry” when the company later turned around and only offered the price of a van rental.
David said: “I had to take all my aviaries down and move all the birds out all on my own.
“I have big exotic birds. Some of those birds are on the protected species list and all.
Some of the birds that David owns are on a protected species listNorthcot Press Agency“I feel like they just disregarded me and my birds. We went to so many meetings and they said they would look after the birds.
“But as soon as they broke the concrete, they didn’t care.”
The parrot enthusiast has now shifted the majority of the birds to a friend’s property in Co Wicklow.
David — who is due to become a dad for the second time in April — said the building project has taken a “terrible toll” on him and his pregnant partner.
He said: “Relocating the birds is costing me money that I shouldn’t need to spend.
“I have to do a full day’s work as a driver, come home, get the food for the parrots, drive to Wicklow and feed the parrots.
“It is taking time away from me and my family as well.”
The building site in Drimnagh has planning permission for a nine-storey, 188 build-to-rent apartment scheme that McGregor has bought.
Preliminary works are now under way on site — leaving local residents livid.
A number of them have lodged objections to multimillion-euro plans by one of the UFC star’s firms to build an eight-storey, 113-unit apartment block adjacent to the site.
Irish Conor, 35, shot to fame and fortune as a mixed martial arts ace and professional boxer.
He won 22 of his 28 Ultimate Fighting Championship fights and is a former UFC featherweight and lightweight champ.
He is also a former Cage Warriors featherweight and lightweight champ.
McGregor’s representatives were contacted for comment.
A firm owned by McGregor has multimillion-euro plans to build an eight-storey, 113-unit apartment block adjacent to the Dramnagh building siteDamien Eagers - The Sun Dublin
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