Titirangi's famed chickens to be removed to help rid village of rats

Friday, 12 July 2019

The small West Auckland community of Titirangi are undecided whether they want the growing chicken population roaming their village to stay or go.

The famed wild chickens and roosters of a leafy suburb will be removed in a bid to combat its rat infestation.

West Auckland's Titirangi, famous for its roaming and road-crossing chickens, will lose its wild pets in the next few weeks after local council members agreed the move on Thursday night.

Waitakere Ranges Local Board chairman Greg Presland said removing the chickens was the best course of action.

They would either be rehomed or culled, or whatever option contractors will put forward, Presland said.

Titirangi village is said to have more than 200 chickens and roosters roaming its streets.

* Chickens aren't the only ones to blame for Titirangi's rat problem

* Titirangi claim neighbourhood is infested with 'rats the size of cats'**

'We would love for all the chickens to have happy homes,' he said.

The increasing chicken population has been blamed for causing health and safety issues, and for a long time, the tree-loving community was divided by those who loved and hated them.

The chickens' fate rose to local and international media headlines when they were partially blamed for the area's rat infestation last month.

Rats the 'size of cats' were running rampant near shops, cafes, retaining walls, car parks and near Rangiwai Rd, which some claimed were attracted by food left for the chickens.

'Not only will the removal of the chickens fully remove all negative effects of the population, it will likely improve the rat problem as well,' Presland said.

'This has been an ongoing problem in Titirangi for a significant amount of time. In the past, attempts to control the issue by removing some, not all, of the chicken population has not worked.'

Presland said the first option was to rehome them, and the local board had already a lot of offers from residents.

But culling could also be an option, depending on what advice contractors offered.

'I would like to see them gone in weeks, not months,' he said.

The wild chickens and roosters have always split the community - some thought they added character to the tiny village, while others thought their growing population was becoming a nuisance.

'This is not as simple as it sounds as there are an estimated 100-200 birds, including newly hatched chickens, so capturing, and then finding homes for them all is a logistical challenge.

'However, the board is determined to take action on this issue, and we are pleased that we have been able to make this decision to deal with the situation that has been significantly disruptive to the community for too long,' he said.