Dumped chicks shock Waihi residents

Several chickens were dumped in this bin at the Waihi transfer station.

Waihi resident Robyn Stads stumbled upon a surreal scene at the Waihi transfer station on Sunday, November 12.

While dumping rubbish she saw several baby chicks inside one of the bins.

"They were dumped among the rubbish, running around in one of the outer bins," she said.

Several live chickens were stuck in the large bins at the station, and she alerted the staff.
Employee Alan Irvine could not believe his eyes.

"It was quite shocking, especially that people should know they should not dump live animals here," he said.

Waihi SPCA's shelter was also open that morning.

"The person [who dumped the chicks] would have driven past the shelter before heading to the station.

"Why didn't they stop at the SPCA?" Robyn said.

She said about four chicks were dumped and she rescued one and took it home. The transfer station staff used their digger to capture the birds.

"We did try to save them all but they were scared and hiding in the bin," Robyn said.
Alan says it is not the first time someone has dumped live animals at the local transfer station.

He remembers when staff found several kittens alive in the bins a few years back.

"That day we managed to get the number plate of the vehicle and they were issued with a warning following SPCA's investigation," he said.

He says that Sunday's incident made it hard to spot the offender.

"It was very busy and so you cannot keep an eye on everyone.

"That is why we could not see who it was."

Robyn said she is very annoyed by the careless behaviour.

"I understand that people cannot have their animals anymore but there are facilities in Waihi to take care of them.

"Some people do not care anymore. They are just self-orientated," she said.

Alan hoped the rest of the chicks would have escaped the bin alive while at the landfill.