Animal 411

Silvermine Road Resident Fined $90 for Roaming Chickens

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Police last Sunday charged a Silvermine Road resident $90 when six of his chickens wandered into the street after escaping their coop, officials say. The call about the roaming fowl came in at 1:55 p.m., according to a police report. Officials found the owner and fined him for violating a seldom cited part of the Town Code (section 6-4 here). Amended four years ago, it says, in part: “All fowl or poultry kept within the limits of the Town must be penned and not allowed to run at large or onto premises other than those belonging to or occupied by the party owning or keeping such fowl or poultry.”

Animal Control Officer Maryann Kleinschmitt said the rule governing light farm animals doesn’t get as much use as it once did. “We have had things like a cow, horse and ponies in the roadway,” she said.

Animal 411

VIDEO: Large Bird of Prey Removed from White Oak Shade Home

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Bird of Prey in New Canaan
New Canaan Animal last week removed from a White Oak Shade Road home what appears to be a large bird of prey that had gotten into a screened-in back porch area. “It looked like some kind of a falcon,” Animal Control Officer Maryann Kleinschmitt said of the bird. The video above shows Animal Control Officer Diane Apicelli (bravely) taking the bird out of the area. Police responded to a call about the bird around 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 16.

Animal 411

VIDEO: This Chihuahua Is Adoptable Now at New Canaan Animal Shelter

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Randy the Chihuahua-Adoptable Now at NCPD Animal Shelter
The little Chihuahua in the video above, Randy, was found roaming on Carter Street one morning about one month ago. He’s house-trained and has been neutered, and is seeking his forever home. Randy—who was given that name by New Canaan Police Department Animal Control Officer Maryann Kleinschmitt, in the video—is available for adoption now. For more information, call Animal Control at 203-594-3510.

Animal 411

Forest Street Home May Have a Bat Problem

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Police last week removed two bats from the attic of a Forest Street home and bat droppings could be seen in both the attic and basement, officials say. The early indications are that the homeowner there has a more serious, steady problem than what New Canaan generally sees this time of year, when nesting females kick their mates out of the house, Animal Control Officer Maryann Kleinschmitt said. The droppings “tell us that there is a little more going on in there than someone opened the door and two bats flew in,” Kleinschmitt said. It’s up to the homeowner to work with private contractors to ensure that the house is safe and pest-free. Kleinschmitt said her unit is seeing “an enormous amount of bats” recently.

Animal 411

Buttery Road Cat Bites Houseguest; Young Raccoon Drowns in Storm Drain

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A Buttery Road cat whose rabies vaccinations weren’t up-to-date last week bit a houseguest, police said. It happened around 3:44 p.m. on Aug. 8 as the guest, a woman, stepped on the cat’s tail while walking down the stairs in the home, according to a police report. The domestic short-haired cat is under home quarantine for two weeks and the bite victim is under observation in case a series of rabies shots are needed, according to Animal Control Officer Maryann Kleinschmitt. ***

Emergency responders were unable to rescue a young raccoon caught earlier this month in a storm drain at Lakeview Lane and Lakeview Avenue.