close

Ducks redux; West Pike poultry prove to be elusive

2 min read
article image -

Last week’s court-ordered capture of fowl that West Pike Run Township claims are a safety hazard didn’t take place because the ducks were a bit too mighty.

“Our attempt to round up the ducks was not successful,” township solicitor Christopher Furman reported Friday in Washington County Court in a second round before Judge Michael Lucas.

West Pike Run officials earlier this month sought to enjoin James Thomas of Scenic Drive, Coal Center, a local name for Route 481, because the duck crossing could cause a traffic accident.

“There were five of us that tried to round them up,” Washington Area Humane Society Enforcement Officer Glen Thomson said Friday. “We had no time to attempt to get proper equipment.”

The flock ducked efforts to corral them by hiding. Thomson said he needs to net them.

Thomas’ attorney, Molly Maguire Gaussa, claims her client does not own the domestic birds that descended on his acreage, but in a consent order worked out Friday, he agreed to erect a temporary fence to try to contain them.

Furman agreed that the township would not treat the addition of a duck confinement area as evidence of Thomas’ ownership.

The judge gave the township and Thomas 45 days to complete another attempted roundup and take the birds to a farm sanctuary.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $3.75/week.

Subscribe Today