Who's a pretty boy then? Man cuts off his ears to look like a parrot

Ted Richards, 56, has already had his face and eyeballs tattooed, next he wants a surgeon to turn his nose into a beak

A man who had his face and eyeballs tattooed to look like his pet parrots has gone a step further - by cutting off his ears.

Ted Richards, 56, is obsessed by pets Ellie, Teaka, Timneh, Jake and Bubi and has his face tattooed with colourful feathers.

But the animal lover - who has 110 tattoos, 50 piercings and a split tongue - has now had both his ears removed by a surgeon in a six hour operation.

"I am so happy it's unreal, I can't stop looking in the mirror.

"I've done it because I want to look like my parrots as much as possible.

"I've had my hair long for so many years my ears have been covered up.

"I have to admit I did used to get teased at school about my ears but that not the reason I've had it done."

"The kids are running up to me and asking to see gory photos - they just love it.

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"They are just so fascinated. I was really surprised - I thought they were more likely to run away."

Mr Richards, a retired shoe factory worker, got his first tattoo in 1976 and has since built up a collection covering almost his entire body.

He also has a peace sign branded on his left shoulder with a 750 degrees centigrade hot iron and two magnets implanted in his hands.

He shares his home in Hartcliffe, Bristol with his four parrots, as well as South American green iguana Iggy, and pitbull terrier Candy.

He scours the internet looking for new procedures and says his facial transformation is a tribute to his "babies" - Ellie, a green winged macaw, and Teaka, a harlequin macaw.

Mr Richards is keeping tight-lipped about who carried out the six hour operation, but insists he is "happier than ever," and has even now got himself a girlfriend, Suzannah, 31.

Since undergoing the operation Mr Richards says the only issue he has is keeping his glasses in place - so he has had two small metal pins added to the side of his head.

be different."

The practice of removing someone's ears was historically done as an act of physical punishment in England called 'cropping.'

Marc Pacifico, a consultant plastic surgeon and member of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, slammed the surgery.

He said: "I am absolutely horrified to learn that someone has voluntarily put themselves forward for this to be done and possibly more so that he found somebody to actually carry it out.

"The sad truth of life though is that if you want something badly enough you will eventually find someone willing to do it.

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"I would like to think whoever did this is not medically qualified because that would call into judgement their ethics and morals.

"As an accredited plastic surgeon you have to have a great sense of moral and ethical responsibility.

"I can only assume the ethical code and moral compass of whoever did this does not."