31 chicken, 10 other birds, 10 adult goats and 3 goat kids were found on the 16th floor of a commercial building in Ambelokipoi district of central Athens on Tuesday.

Animal welfare inspectors of the Athens municipality raided the illegal husbandry and confiscated the animals.

According to a statement issued by the municipality, the animals were found at the high-rise premises, located at the junction of Kifissias Avenue and Miltiadou Iatridou Street.

Video: by the Greek Police

Officials acted after receiving an oral order from a prosecutor following a complaint about illegal animal husbandry at the building, which houses shops and offices, including the Hellenic Food Authority EFET.

Authorities said the birds have already been transferred to the National Gardens, while the goats were expected to be moved to a municipal facility later in the day.

The Municipality of Athens pointed out that all animals will undergo medical checks for possible diseases, in order to ensure their health.

The police have opened a case for illegal animal breeding against one man and one private company.

According to media, the man, an architect by profession, is the CEO of a well-known company and had transformed the balcony of his apartment of the rooftop of the building into an “organized ecosystem”, while also cultivating plants and herbs.

The architect argued claiming that if there had been a hygiene problem, the EFET would have already intervened.

The case raises concerns about the effects of urban development and at the same time the installation of such structures in the urban fabric requires strict conditions and regulations.

Σοκαρισμένος ο @skaigr από την “φάρμα” που έκανε αφιέρωμα η @Kathimerini_gr πριν 12 (!) γαμημένα χρόνια 😂
Τί μπουρδέλα είναι αυτά ρε https://t.co/HYqOkVEdlV pic.twitter.com/rmIMzBufiM

— Εκτονών Ουκάνεφ 🇬🇱🇵🇦 (@podbyrin) March 31, 2026

It is worth noting that both a big media outlet and a life-style magazine had praised the husbandry as “urban agriculture” model in long articles with pictures and details in 2014 and 2017 respectively.

The owner had revealed he already had the farm already for ten years, he would keep animals and grow vegetables and herbs for his own consumption. No journalist asked him whether he was slaughtering the animals right there on the rooftop or bring them to special facilities.