Motorist's shock at vehicle towing live chicken

A chicken is seen attached to the rear of a vehicle in Wairau Valley on Auckland's North Shore . Photo/Michael Watton

Auckland motorists had their feathers ruffled this afternoon when a vehicle was seen towing what is thought to be a live chicken down a busy street on the North Shore.

Michael Watton was commuting along Sunnybrae Rd, in Hillcrest, around 4pm this afternoon when he said the frightful scene unfolded in front of him.

Watton said he looked up and saw a chicken tied to the back of a moving car.

"The chicken was being dragged behind the car. There is no way it was keeping up and there was blood everywhere. It wasn't the prettiest sight but it was still alive and moving around."

Watton said the car came to a stop in traffic and a few people started tooting and getting out of their cars.

"Some other dude went up to the window and started yelling at the guy until he got out.

"Once he got out, he looked behind the car and realised it was there."

Watton believed the driver wasn't aware the chicken was tied to the car.

"I don't think the guy had a clue that it was there. From what I could understand from what he was saying, it was probably his kid who tied it to the back of the car and then he had driven off."

Watton said the vehicle was driving about 10-15km/h before it stopped, but he had no way of knowing how long it had been driving and where it had come from.

He said there were about 10 other cars at the intersection that saw the incident.

The driver untied the chicken once he noticed it was there, Watton said, but he did not know what happened to the bird after that.

Police said they had not received any reports of the alleged incident, while the SPCA has also been contacted for comment.