Free range rooster causes controversy in Topton
On the north side of Topton some residents have not been as quick as others to welcome a new neighbor in town, a neighbor that just so happens to be an all white rooster.
Onlookers chuckled as they walked along the sidewalk.
“Is that a rooster?” a woman laughed as the rooster let out a heavy crow.
Meanwhile another woman passed by shaking her head explaining that a family member, who works the night shift, is frequently awakened by the noisy crows during the early morning hours.
In the Borough of Topton there is a local ordinance permitting no livestock in the borough and borough officials state that they have been working diligently to find a resolution to the issue.
The rooster was first noticed in the early months of spring roaming the backyards of Centre Avenue in Topton. Doreene Hughes, a resident of Topton, said she first noticed him eating birdseed on the side of her house, and he hasn’t left since.
“He is a novelty,” said Hughes who has received a letter from the borough after the rooster arrived, stating that she was “harboring chickens,” and that she must relocate the rooster.
“I have done nothing to claim the bird as my pet,” explained Hughes. “He is a free range rooster that sleeps in my pine trees, no one wants him.”
After multiple complaints about the rooster by residents the Borough has been looking for ways to relocate the bird.
“We have reached out to the property owner where the bird resides,” said Marcus Dolny, Borough Manger, “but the argument is that we cannot fine a resident for a wild animal.”
While sitting at The Market Café across the street, customers have coffee and hear the rooster crow and snicker.
“When I first heard of him, I thought, a rooster? Cool!” said Anne Paynter, a Topton resident who frequently meets friends at the café.
The Market Café is located right next to the busy train tracks. Hughes joked, “You should hear the two trains pass around 4 a.m. They sound like they both try to compete for who has the loudest horn.”
Employee of the Market Café, Matt Richard, said that most costumers find the rooster humorous, especially in the little town of Topton, and he has seen many children try to catch the bird. He went on to say that most of his customers don’t seemed fazed by the bird.
With winter quickly arriving there is talk about where the rooster will nest.
Dolny said, “Once we see the wild animal being protected the borough will consider that action as taking ownership.”