North Okanagan animal advocates are pleading with the public not to abandon animals where their safety is compromised.
The plea comes after a recent case involving nearly 30 chickens left on the side of the road in Enderby, B.C.
“I was shocked,” said area resident Kim Turner. “I was shocked to just see them there. Obviously, with the weather, too, I was a little worried.”
The flock of hens was discovered off of Twin Lakes Road.
While it is a rural area, Turner said it was an unusual sight.
“We don’t usually have chickens running around. They’re in people’s yards,” Turner said. “It was a whole bunch of them all grouped together, just laying in the tall grass or standing in the tall grass.”
Turner was among the area residents who helped rescue the chickens with the help of the Okanagan Humane Society (OHS).
“There was about 10 people that showed up with nets and blankets and crates and one of the neighbours nearby that had called it in, they created a makeshift pen for them to get them in for the night,” said OHS executive director Romany Runnalls.
Runnalls said all indication points to the hens being brought to the area and left there.
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“It would be very unusual for 30 chickens to show up all together in one flock like that,” Runnalls said. “I don’t think it’s the responsible thing to do.”
While it’s not known why exactly the chickens would be abandoned there, Runnalls said there are always other options to consider.
“It’s not the kind of thing to do, Runnalls said. “If there’s some animals that need a new home because they can’t contain those animals anymore, look after them anymore, if they’re not producing anymore, maybe there’s some other alternatives and to reach out to some organizations for some help, rather than just leaving them to their own devices and demise.”
But this type of thing, Runnalls said, has unfortunately become all too common.
“We’re finding a lot of animals in places where they shouldn’t be,” Runnalls told Global News. “I don’t know what the underlying problem is. There’s probably more than one problem but it is concerning.”
While this flock was saved and rehomed, had residents not intervened, the outcome could have been much different.
“The wildlife would have got them, because we do have a lot of bears, cougars in the area, coyotes. If not them, they maybe would have just continued out there until the weather got them.” Turner said.
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