June 8, 2009

A rescued rooster, named Mr. Clucky, faces an eviction from the City of Miami Beach due to his early morning crowing. (ZT Pet News File Photo by Alicia Zaitsu)

City Seeks to Evict Bicycle-Riding Rooster: Mr. Clucky is a hit among tourists and locals on Miami Beach, but now his ways of early-dawn crowing have landed him in the hot seat. He's been served an eviction notice by the city.

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- The plucky Mr. Clucky was just another site in the long line of Miami Beach eccentricities, but now the bicycle-riding rooster has gone from a famed tourist attraction to an infamous nuisance.

Thanks to Mr. Clucky's habit of 6 a.m. crowing, owner Mark Buckley was ticketed by a code enforcement officer on May 27 for keeping a farm animal.

"People seem to love Mr. Clucky. They love to hear him crow," Buckley said in an April ZT Pet News interview. "It's kinda something different for them, kinda bringing a little nature to the beach."

That public sentiment might have changed since the city received a complaint and went to investigate. Now Buckley faces a $50 fine, as well as an order to get rid of the famous fowl.

Mr. Clucky draws a crowd not only because of his ability to perch on a bike's handlebars while cruising through popular outdoor retail areas, but also due to his activism.

Mr. Clucky was named Miami Beach's "Activist of the Year" by MetroMix Magazine in 2008.

Watch the Zootoo Pet News video above for a better look into Mr. Clucky's life prior to the city's eviction notice.

The honor comes after Mr. Clucky's involvement with several animal welfare causes, such as leading the "Walk for the Farm Animals," joining a local eighth grader's protest against Kentucky Fried Chicken's alleged torture of animals and being the mascot for Critical Mass, Miami's Earth-friendly activist and bike riding enthusiast group.

The celebrity bird was also grand marshal of last fall's King Mango Strut in nearby Coconut Grove.

But the work Mr. Clucky and Buckley do in volunteering -- with organizations such as EarthSave and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals -- is something near and dear to their hearts.

"I found Mr. Clucky in my neighborhood in Miami Beach," Buckley previously told ZT Pet News. "He was hurt in the bushes, his beak was cut off to his face and he had a cut on his head."

Buckley says he believes the rooster escaped from some sort of religious ceremony. He nursed him to recovery and the pair have been best friends for the past three years.

Now their friendship hangs in the balance. Buckley could receive repeated citations and higher fines if he doesn't comply with taking Mr. Clucky out of the city. But officials say an arrest is not likely.

Ironically, Buckley joked with ZT Pet News in April that he wished he could train Mr. Clucky to "stop screaming early in the morning and sleep a little later."

Although Buckley could not be reach as of press time, his Web site indicates the duo plan to fight city hall for Mr. Buckley's right to remain a Miami Beach resident.

For more information on Mr. Clucky and Buckley's petition to the city of Miami Beach, visit www.MrClucky.com

The Associated Press and Zootoo Pet News correspondent, Emily Oz, and editor, Robin Wallace, contributed to this report.

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