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The small california town of San Juan Bautista (pop. 1549) is wrestling with this question: Should the chicken hit the road?
The small town, with its Mission San Juan Bautista made famous by Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, is grappling with wild chickens strutting down its downtown sidewalks and being fed by tourists and locals alike.
Now, the city council is considering a resolution to made feeding the feral chickens illegal:
"It's a policy issue the council is wrestling with," said City Manager Janice McClintock, who stepped into the long-simmering chicken dispute as soon as she started her job just five weeks ago. "Both the pro-chicken and the anti-chicken forces make some good points."
In a town of fewer than 2,000, almost everyone has a well-defined point of view when it comes to the chickens. The pro-chicken forces in this hamlet 45 miles south of San Jose talk up civic identity; the anti-chicken forces mutter darkly about bird flu. The boosters point to delighted tourists; the critics point to speckled sidewalks.
Article at the LA Times: [a href="vny!://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-chickens20mar20,0,4438074.story?coll=la-home-headlines"]Link[/a]
Feral chicken? That's nothing. You should come to Banff, Canada where they have MEGA huge moose(s??) running everywhere.
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For some reason, this debate reminds me of Canadian geese. Some people say they should remain protected since they are Canada's national symbol (something like that). On the other hand, the opposition says that they have grown too large in number, and end up crapping everywhere - on cars, in parks, etc. (but nobody can do anything about it)
Golfers would respond with a resounding NO MORE GEESE. They can sure make a mess of a golf course. They love it. I think they believe all those ponds are put there just for them.
They're amazing creatures. They mate for life, and mourn like a human when they lose a 'child'. It's special, if you're in a situation where you can observe them year after year.
it's a rooster btw.
i am in the let it be camp.