Rooster amnesty hailed a success with more than 100 relinquished

More than 100 unwanted roosters are on the search for new homes after being handed in to after an amnesty in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. The Southern Tasmanian Bantam Club organised the amnesty after a surge in unwanted roosters being dumped by the roadside around Hobart.



Amnesty organiser Roly Calvert said some of the birds found a new home straight away. "A particular bird which was actually the first bird to come in the shed, he had breeding on his side, he was a light sussex male bird," he said. "Within 10 minutes there was a gentlemen who came down and said, 'I'm looking for a light sussex rooster, have you got one?' And I said, 'Step this way'."

Mr Calvert is hoping the event will raise awareness of the issue and prompt people to take better care of the birds. "We've just got to hopefully turn people's thinking around the be more responsible," he said. "Mostly the people that have been dropping off [the roosters] didn't want to dump them, they're at the responsible end of the market, if you like, so they've been appreciative."



The event has been hailed a success and came at a perfect time for rooster owners like Matt Hannon. "Yesterday they woke us up at 4 o'clock in the morning, and that was sort of not on!" he said. Rae Calvert was happy to pick up one of the unwanted silkies, though. "We've got a few little girls at home that are looking for a nice rooster," she said. "I'm very happy to find one here today, they're just beautiful birds." Organisers are now trying to find new homes for the rest of the unwanted roosters.