By ChristieLyn Diller, Director of Marketing & Communications
On January 4, the United States Postal Service had a big little issue –
106 little issues, to be exact. In a shipment gone awry, 106 baby Rhode Island
Red chickens destined for Blountsville, Alabama ended up in Washington, DC
instead. Knowing that the chicks would not survive an additional trip down to
their predetermined destination, the shipper transferred ownership of the
chicks to the Post Office.
What’s a Post Office to do with more than 100 chicks? Call the Washington Humane Society Animal Care & Control Facility, of course! Director of Animal Control Field Services Raymond Noll and Animal Care & Control Corporal Shawn Covington were quickly en route for a fuzzy and feathered rescue.
It was all hands on deck when the box of chicks arrived at our New York Avenue Adoption Center. Staff sprang into action, crafting a make shift home for the days-old babies equipped with heating blankets and lamps. A special meal was swiftly mixed up and served with fresh water, satisfying their inevitable hunger and thirst after days without nourishment in a shipping crate. Our next step was integral for the chicks survival - finding them an appropriate and loving home.
In Washington, DC, Animal Control Code makes private ownership of these animals illegal. As with prior chicken and rooster rescues, the search was on to find a suitable home for all of the birds, outside of city limits.
Without haste, Senior Humane Law Enforcement Officer Dan D’Eramo picked
up the phone and gave a call to his former employers, our friends at Farm
Sanctuary in Watkins Glenn,
New York. On January 8, Farm Sanctuary staff came to the rescue. They drove more
than five hours to DC on a mission to save every single one of the chicks. With
expert care and attention, Farm Sanctuary staff loaded each baby into their
rescue van, as they prepared for their journey north.
WHS is proud to report that the chicks are now safely at their new home,
a vast and beautiful farm in the picturesque Finger Lakes region of Upstate New
York. Thanks to quick acting Officers and an outstanding partnership with Farm
Sanctuary, this rescue is just one more example of our commitment to saving
lives – no matter how small, or how many.
For more information about Farm Sanctuary, visit http://www.farmsanctuary.org/.
Watch this video of the chicks in their new home!
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