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Abused Roosters Find Peace at WRR
 Abused
Roosters Find Peace at WRR
by Angela Grimes, Associate Executive Director
When it rains, it pours — this adage
can certainly be applied to roosters the past couple of months
at Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation (WRR)!
It started in November when we were asked
by Chicken
Run Rescue in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to provide a home
for 14 Thai roosters rescued from a cock-fighting ring. With
nearly 200 acres of sanctuary land, it was easy to say yes
to these boys who, as soon as they were healthy and fattened
up, could be released to live a relatively "wild"
life on our property. After a rather long drive south and
a few days in our veterinary clinic, the boys are roaming
and roosting freely at WRR. One found his way to our upper
pasture where Violet, the disabled pot-bellied pig, lives
and he found his soul mate. This odd couple, pig and rooster,
are the best of friends and one is rarely seen without the
other.
In January, we received a call from Odessa
(Texas) Animal Control. They had been called in to confiscate
45 roosters from another cock-fighting ring. This barbaric
"sport" is banned in most states, yet it occurs
in basements and backyards across the country. Of the 45 roosters
on the scene, only 10 survived. Not desiring to kill these
innocent and abused birds, the compassionate Director of Odessa
Animal Control contacted United
Poultry Concerns (UPC), a national chicken rescue group
in Maryland, in hopes of finding a sanctuary for them. UPC
referred her to WRR and once again we agreed to provide a
safe-haven for the birds.
 Just
when we thought we had seen the last of new roosters, it was
time for us to collect a donation of rooster chicks from a
poultry processing company a few hours from the sanctuary.
Many of the animals who live here must eat other animals as
a part of their natural diet and we do provide the nutrition
that is appropriate and healthy for their species, but in
the process we make every attempt to minimize that taking
of other valuable lives to feed those in our care. We receive
donations from deer processors, meat distributors, and in
this case, poultry plants. The chickens that Americans purchase
in the grocery store are females and when males are born in
these factory farms, they are discarded into waste bins and
suffocated. We are able to pick up donations of these dead
chicks to feed to other animals, thereby eliminating the need
to purchase animals for food and contribute to this industry.
 When
we pick up our donations, there are usually a few young rooster
boys who have survived this ordeal and our staff member searches
through the bins, following the faint chirping to rescue any
survivors. By the side of the road, we get them warm and give
them a bit of electrolyte fluid to hold them until they reach
WRR. Sometimes we find only a handful of survivors, sometimes
more, but just a few days ago, there were 57! These are 57
innocent lives who would have been left to die had we not
been there to help.
Birds are used and abused by the billions
in the United States each year. Birds used in cock-fighting,
factory farming, and the exotic pet trade of parrots and other
birds are by far are the most numerous when it comes to exploitation.
It is easy to feel compassion for the great elephant, stately
lion, or cuddly puppy. We hope you will also remember the
feathered when you speak
out for animals in need.
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