More than thirty chickens and chicks have been dumped in a forest near Bergen op Zoom. Forest ranger Erik de Jonge found the animals on Friday evening after a report. “What a heartless brat you must be to discard your pets like that.”
The ranger looked surprised when he arrived at the place where the chickens were walking. “I often find one or a few dumped chickens, but I haven’t found that many more often. They were on the branches and there were even chicks. Really bizarre.”
Erik wasn’t sure what to do with the chickens. Because there is bird flu, he is not allowed to transport them himself. “I think they will have to stay in ‘bed and breakfast Bos’ tonight. Tomorrow morning I will see if we can catch them and offer them shelter at a shelter.”
Survival chances uncertain
But will it come to that? The animals are used to being in a pen and, according to the forester, they will not survive if they stay in the forest for too long. “Then they starve to death or get caught by dogs.”
He hopes that the animals will at least survive this night. “There was some bread with it. I don’t know if the dumper did that or someone walked by. So they won’t be too hungry. Let’s hope for the best.”