S'pore uncle's pet rooster goes missing, bundle of feathers tied with red string appears in cage a day later

It was at around 5am on Jul. 2 when Uncle C found his pet rooster's cage cut open.

The lock was intact, but the bars had been cut. The adjacent cage, belonging to his pet hen, had been similarly damaged.

Worst of all, both rooster and hen had vanished.

The 63-year-old lodged a police report for his missing chickens. But a day later, on Jul. 3, he passed by the cages and was greeted with a "chilling" sight.

At the base of the cage was a bundle of tail feathers — unmistakably belonging to his rooster, named Dwarf — bound in a red string.

A friendly neighbourhood chicken

It was four years ago, in February 2020, that Uncle C rescued Dwarf. He was a chick at the time.

"He's called Dwarf because he's short and stunted...he's a bantam chicken, not a feral chicken," he told Mothership.

Bantam chickens are typically smaller in size as compared to other chicken breeds.

Over the years, he'd become a "friendly neighbourhood chicken", interacting with everybody from the neighbours to the children at the childcare centre.

"Everybody knows him," Uncle C, who is single, said.

"I don't know why anybody would do this to him. He's my best friend and my best buddy, and he provided me comfort during the pandemic."

He was also exceptionally tame, "almost like a dog", Uncle C added.

Twice a day, Uncle C would take Dwarf out on bicycle rides, during which he'd either ride on his shoulder or on the bicycle's handlebars.

"He's very smart. He can respond to his name, he can ride on my bicycle and on my shoulder. He can play on the swing.

And even if somebody were to open the cage, he wouldn't run out."

Complaints

For all the chickens' popularity, this is not the first time that they have faced harassment.

"Maybe three months or so back, the hen in the adjacent cage — her name is Snow White — somebody came and poured oil over her," he shared.

"I managed to clean her up. But she was traumatised...I think somebody wanted her dead."

The chickens resided in the community garden at 272 Tampines Street 22, near his home. Uncle C emphasised that the chickens have not been disruptive or noisy.

"He's small, so he doesn't crow very loudly. And the hen doesn't even crow," he said, adding that there are many other chickens in the neighbourhood too.

Most horrifying to him was the fact that the perpetrator came back to the cage to leave behind the bundle of tail feathers.

"It's animal cruelty," he said. "The person plucked out [Dwarf's] tail feathers, and even brought them here so I would know he is dead...I think it's really sick."

He has since made a police report. The police confirmed with Mothership that investigations are ongoing.

He also hopes that witnesses who might have information about Dwarf or Snow White will come forward.

"To many, he might seem like just a chicken.

But to me, he is a friend and a companion...he didn't leave my side even when we were out. It's definitely a loss."

Top image from Uncle C