Roosters likely abandoned at Greater Victoria park rescued by community members
A Saanich, B.C., woman is in search of a sanctuary for 10 roosters that she helped rescue from a South Island park.
Karin Nelson responded to a call for help on Friday, after she saw an online post about a flock of chickens dumped at Francis King Park in the Highlands community.
"Somebody had posted in the Nextdoor app that they had seen chickens at large in the park, so myself and two other rescuers drove out to see if we could find them," Nelson told CTV News.
The group was unable to locate the birds, but Nelson returned to the park later that evening after another sighting was reported.
"[I] was there in the dark with my flashlight looking through the underbrush rattling bowls of grain and bags of grain to see if I could attract them," she said.
"Sure enough, the bag of cereal elicited vocalization and let me know where they were, and then it was just a matter of picking them up and putting them into carries," she said.
One of the recovered roosters is shown. (Karin Nelson)
Nelson was able to rescue seven of the chickens, while three others were recovered by someone else.
It was later discovered the abandoned birds are actually roosters, which Nelson says were likely dumped because they can't lay eggs.
"I mean this is better I guess than the alternative of killing them outright, but dumping them – I mean, they're domestic animals," said Nelson. "They don’t have much chance of surviving in the wild."
One of the recovered roosters is shown. (Karin Nelson)
Nelson is now in the process of finding the animals a new home.
"We'd like to find place where they’re going to be safe and be able to live out their lives and be loved and cared for," she said.
All 10 roosters have been turned over to CRD Animal Control, which has agreed to hang onto them until Nelson can find a home for the birds.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.