Cock-a-doodle-adopt me! Roosters seen strutting around Prince George, B.C., neighbourhood now in SPCA care
Birds, nicknamed Foghorn and Cluck Norris, taken into SPCA care after being seen wandering urban area
A pair of stray roosters will soon be up for adoption after they were found strutting their stuff near downtown Prince George, B.C.
The birds were reported to the city's animal control team on Dec. 17 after being spotted on Patricia Boulevard in the Millar Addition neighbourhood.
The pair were apprehended and brought into the care of the B.C. SPCA and, unless an owner comes forward to claim them, will soon be put up for adoption, according to North Cariboo SPCA manager Kristen Sumner.
"It's definitely the strangest animal we've had come in through animal control," Sumner said of the fowl pair, who have been given the nicknames of Foghorn and Cluck Norris.
Though there is plenty of farmland around Prince George, the roosters were in an urban part of the city where livestock is not a common sight. As it stands, chickens are largely not allowed in the community, so it's unclear where they came from.
In a video taken by a CBC News reporter, blyaw officers can be seen using nets and catchpoles to apprehend the birds as they walk through snow.
Trying to accommodate the birds has been a learning experience for Sumner and her team.
"We assumed because they were at large together, gallivanting around the town, that they would have come from the same property," she said. "But they're not best friends, believe it or not."
Because of their apparent animosity for each other, the roosters are housed separately in the SPCA facility, which is largely oriented toward cats and dogs. Their morning crows have been causing some confusion for visitors, and the volunteers who aren't familiar with handling the large birds have had some tense moments.
"Some of the staff are absolutely terrified of them," Sumner said. "I've heard a couple girls scream because [the roosters] move toward them a little too quickly."
But both birds seem to be in good health, Sumner said, and — unless an owner comes forward — should be up for adoption on the SPCA website within the next few days.
"Hopefully we can find them a forever home for the holidays," Sumner said.
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With files from Betsy Trumpener