Dear Source:
It’s a terrible thing when one has to force one’s own government to enforce their own laws.
The situation with people keeping chickens and roosters illegally in residentially zoned areas and all the free roaming chickens and roosters that are infesting our once quiet and peaceful neighborhoods has reached epic proportions and affects the overall quality of our lives and our livelihoods.
It is difficult to rent or sell a property that has chickens and roosters roaming the neighborhood or sounding off during a showing.
It is difficult to appease those Villa rental guests that have spent their hard-earned dollars to enjoy a much deserved vacation with chickens scratching around in the yard as well as the rooster(s) crowing constantly all day and night. They won’t be return guests.
I doubt they will write a wonderful testimonial to enhance that particular Villas guest book. They certainly will not recommend that Villa or Rental Property to prospective guests, their friends or family.
To have so many people being inundated with these feral chickens and roosters on all 3 islands with nowhere to turn for legal help to get them removed is beyond belief. It is no wonder that we feel frustrated with our present senators, government administration and agencies.
The Agricultural Department, who I was told by DPNR, is the responsible entity for the removal of livestock and fowl on residential property as well as picking up roaming livestock, ignores all calls and inquiries and never, ever responds.
I and many others have called them numerous times, regarding different situations, have left messages for both Mr. George and Commissioner Petersen, have asked about the possibility of obtaining traps, when they become available, asked to be put on a list if there were none available at the time, e-mailed and appeared in person. No one there has so much as returned a single phone call. They are a joke! This department needs a complete revision with new people hired to replace all of those presently employed that are unwilling to respond and do the jobs they are paid to do.
I got no response from VIWMA nor did any help ensue by contacting the St. Thomas Administrator, Barbara Petersen.
Yesterday, I forwarded to Gov John DeJongh e-mails to various agencies that had been implored for help to no avail.
I do not know whether I shall get any response from him.
I am in contact with several other private citizens, presently, that have the same dilemma.
We are planning on organizing a petition to require the government to enforce our laws and appoint a specific agency to do so, that will actually do so. We are exhausted by the constant runaround and the "not my job, mon!" attitude that is prevelant in these agencies.
Everything else done by individuals has failed, so far.
The only Dept. that did anything was DPNR who was only able to cite the owner of the property where the chickens and roosters were being illegally kept, twice, with Notice of Violations. Then it goes to the Attorney General’s Office for prosecution which will probably be a small fine/slap on the wrist for someone who I have come to learn is in violation on another residential property he owns. Guess what? The chickens and roosters are still in place. Our neighborhoods are still besieged, months and years later.
It has to stop! Those few who flaunt the law should not be able to torment entire neighborhoods with the relentless noise of crowing roosters and chickens and those raising roosters as fighting cocks.
According to the zoning laws here in the USVI, livestock and fowl are allowed to be kept on properties zoned for Agriculture only! There are no exceptions, so why is no-one enforcing the law?
Are you tired of listening to roosters crowing all day and night under your window?
Alana Mawson
St. Thomas
Sharon Hupprich
Alana, thank you so much for putting into print what hundreds, if not thousands, of residents and visitors feel. The feral chicken population has been out of control for the past several years but lately it seems that it has reached critical mass. They are everywhere, in the residential districts and even in the busy town areas, crowing, pecking, defacating everywhere. People have worked on this for many years. However, now it needs a concerted effort by the Agriculture Department to impound these feral chickens. And DPNR to cite and fine those people that continue to keep chickens, roosters, and fighting cocks in residential areas. We have zoning laws. It is the obligation of the government to uphold these laws. When residents duly complain to the appropriate agencies why are they reluctant to even address it?
The people that keep chickens illegally in residential areas allow them to roam and then they reproduce and become feral.
Some of the agencies that have ignored the written pleas of residents include Commissioners of Agriculture and Planning and Natural Resources along with Barbara Petersen the STT Administrator and the Administrator of St. John. How can they continue to allow this to continue? Visitors no longer think it’s cute or ‘islandy’ that chickens roaming through yards , along roadsides and through outdoor restaurants. It is dirty and disgusting and the cacophany throughout the day and night with the crowing is unacceptable. It is ruining whatever little peace and quiet is left in these islands.
Ideas? How about a huge round up and then ship these chickens and roosters which certainly number in the thousands, to Haiti. I bet they would be welcomed as a food and egg source.
Soon, you will see petitions for signatures. Please join us in the fight to rid these islands of the mess that government has allowed to escalate. Thank you.
What can I say? I’ve sought assistance on removing chickens from a residential neighborhood on St. Thomas, Vessup Bay Estates, for over three years. I’ve sent hundreds of e-mails, made hundreds of calls.
I’ve been through the Governor’s office, Administrator, Health Department, Department of Agriculture, both federal and local, DPNR, Fish and Wildlife, senators, UVI, Humane Society, exterminators, wrote to the Daily News and spoke on talk radio about the health hazards of diseased and disease-carrying feral chickens, noise disturbance, and environmental damage.
What can I say? That’s what I get back from the people who are paid to figure out solutions. I’ve given many, many possible solutions over the years.
You can say you will remove chickens from any land NOT zoned A-1 Agricultural.
You can say you will enforce removal of chickens from the properties DPNR has cited.
You can say, I hear you over the screaming roosters. You deserve a higher quality of life in the Virgin Islands.