It sounds like a Pappas Post April Fools article, but it’s completely true—an illegal rooftop farm was recently uncovered in the heart of Athens following a complaint made to the Hellenic Police.
Arriving at the scene, authorities discovered a makeshift breeder farm situated on the sixteenth-floor terrace of a modern multi-story high rise, in the densely populated Athens neighborhood of Ambelokipi. Apart from a multitude of plants, the police counted thirty-one chickens, ten birds of various other species, ten adult goats, as well as three baby goats living in squalid conditions.
The police press release noted that the animals resided in enclosures soiled with dirt and animal waste, all this just a few floors above the Hellenic Food Authority (EFET)—Greece’s FDA.
The Greek Animal Protection Prosecutor issued an order for the immediate removal of the animals, while the Municipality of Athens evacuated the confiscated birds to the nearby National Garden. The goats were transferred to different facilities, while all the rescued animals will undergo veterinary examinations to check for potential diseases.
The Hellenic Police also opened a legal case file against the 55 year-old Greek architect and owner of the farm, as well as the building’s property management company, for breaching animal protection laws.
See the video of the illegal farm made by the Hellenic Police here.
Cover Photo Credit: Hellenic Police
