Non-Indigenous Wildlife

Or: Yeah, Here Come The Rooster

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Battle over crowing neighbors divides condominium residents
By SHAWN HARDIE
Published: Sunday, April 15, 2007

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP — A rooster crowing at the crack of dawn is not the most welcome sound in any town not known for its agricultural output.

Imagine, then, how the residents of one condominium development feel when they hear a rooster crow at 3 a.m.

The birds are common in the Smithville section of Galloway Township, especially at the Hunting Run Condominiums off Quail Hill Boulevard. Their presence has created a divide between the residents: some appreciate the colorful birds being around; some could do without the noise, while others want them gone.

"I love them. That's one of the things I liked when buying this condo," resident Rosalie Eby said. "What a great feature, seeing these wild animals stroll."

"They're (really) annoying," said Joseph Schrum, 19. “They cock-a-doodle-doo all the time."

"We hated them, now we love them," Brian Skroski said. He and his wife, Brenda, have lived in Hunting Run since 1982, and in those early days, there weren't any roosters, he said. Over the years, as they began to multiply in number, Skroski became increasingly annoyed at the roosters, especially with their crowing, which starts before sunrise.

"Those suckers would (crow) at three or four in the morning. I was gonna go out and kill them and eat them," said Skroski, a limousine driver. "Now I want to protect them."

The roosters may need that protection. Eby says some residents have set traps for the roosters, and that one of her neighbors shot at one once.

"I'm concerned that one of them is going to hurt them. One neighbor said they would poison them," Eby said. "They're beautiful ... they're good for environment."

Although Schrum said he finds the roosters annoying, it isn't to the point that he would bother them. Other residents have said at community meetings that they've had enough of the roosters and, if push came to shove, would take matters into their own hands.

Interestingly enough, no one at Hunting Run who commented about their distaste for the birds would give their names, fearing reprisal from neighbors. One man grumbled about what he would do "if he ever got his hands on one of those critters." Meanwhile, an elderly woman said she hates the birds because they dig up the mulch and leave droppings in front of her home.

Community Realty Management, which operates Hunting Run, is trying to address the issue, according to executive property manager Gail Rivell. Rivell has contacted bird rescue organizations to come and take the birds, but there have been no takers.

"This is not a farm," Rivell said. "I'm trying to find someone to rescue them sand give them a home, but it's not easy."

In the meantime, the roosters can take solace that not everyone is out to get them. Tiffany Nixon likes the birds because they bring a sense of “nostalgia" to the area. She also doesn't mind the 3 a.m. crow calls because she sleeps right through it, she says. Meanwhile, Schrum's mother, Theresa, says she was “outraged" that people would try to harm the roosters.

"I think they're cool. We live in Smithville, you gotta deal with them," said Theresa. "We live in the Pinelands.... what do you expect?"

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This is right up the road from me. Those little bastards make quite a racket.

Also, technically, this isn't the Pinelands.