Which is more annoying? Feral chickens or feral cats?

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Government has pledged to rid the Island of the 30,000 feral chickens plaguing residents by 2015. But what about the pesky feral cats that roam about?

The Royal Gazette hit the streets to see which wild animal, chickens or cats, annoys locals more.

Pembroke resident Andrew Ryder said: “I think the chickens are worse. They just annoy me a bit. They always come up to you and beg for food.”

Others, however, such as Donna and Tim Doyle from Paget, thought otherwise.

“We think the chickens are cute,” said Tim. “So probably the cats,” added Donna.

Explaining their reasoning further, Tim added: “We think [the cats] probably get in the trash. I don’t think the chickens get in the trash.”

Nathan from Devonshire was concerned about the spread of disease by chickens.

“I’m afraid of H1N1,” he said.

Another man, Stan from Southampton, was concerned about the animals’ breeding rate and therefore disliked the wild chickens more.

“[The chickens] probably spread population-wise more quickly than the cats. And I think the [Bermuda Feline Assistance Bureau] has already neutered a lot of the cats.”

Many locals were impartial in their views.

“The [wildcats] aren’t a problem. They deserve to live just like us. They’re animals. Chickens — we need them. We can’t get rid of them,” said Tommy Talbot, a Warwick resident.

Said St George’s resident Robert Trott: “I’m a dog lover, I’m not into cats. But every creature has a right to live.

“Even the chickens running around that they call feral chickens, even they have a right to live. The cats don’t really get to me, though.”

His son, Jai Trott, had a clear choice. “Cats [are more annoying.”

Jennifer from St George’s was neutral on the topic. “I’m in an area where I have no wild chickens and as far as cats go, I’m a lover of cats. The feral cats are dying out.”

Warwick couple Kelly-Anne Broom and Allan Steynor both said chickens were the more annoying species, claiming noise pollution as the principal reason.

“The chickens but more so the cockerels because they make so much noise. They’re annoying and you see the chickens more than you see the cats,” Ms Broom added.

Mr Steynor’s reasoning for hating the chickens was simple: “F***ing cock-a-doodle-doo.”

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