29 March,2015 07:43 AM IST | | Agencies
The owner dyed them using food colour and beetroot; released them to make people smile
A pair of chickens dyed pink in Portland, Oregon
Portland: Owner Bruce Whitman of Portland played a prank on the residents of Oregon last week. He used food colouring, beet juice and Kool-Aid to dye his two chickens and let them free in a park to "make people smile."
He says he tucked the chickens into a tree to roost early on Thursday in a waterfront park, figuring they'd wake up to a good day with water nearby and bugs to eat, spread some smiles and he'd pick them up in the evening. He soon heard news reports that the mysterious birds had become poultry celebrities.
The mystery was, however, soon solved. Multnomah County Animal Services says the birds' owner told the agency that the prank succeeded beyond his wildest hopes. In his words, "I didn't expect to get this many people to smile."
Animal Services billed Whitman about $16 per bird for their time in custody, and cautioned him about the risks of releasing birds in public places. He says he probably won't do it again - but he and the birds have now been invited to a couple of parades.
