June 21, 2009

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

Mr. Clucky Gets Court Date as Supporters Rally: Mr. Clucky is a hit among tourists and locals on Miami Beach, but now his early-dawn crowing ways have landed him in the hot seat. He's been served an eviction notice by the city.

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Mr. Clucky will have his day in court and it will be Thursday, July 30 at 9 a.m.

Mark Buckley, owner of the pet rooster, was cited for keeping a farm animal within the city on May 27. This week Buckley replied to the violation by paying the $75 hearing fee and wrote "Mr. Clucky is a highly valued member of this community and any charges against us are unwarranted," he told Zootoo Pet News.

According to Buckley hundreds of letters in protest of the citation are pouring into City Hall, as well as Mr. Clucky's Web site, MrClucky.com.

In addition to public support, which comes from as far away as Germany, the media has jumped to cover the story, including a newspaper in New Hampshire and national TV morning shows.

But this is not the first time Mr. Clucky has drawn crowds of attention.

Due to Mr. Clucky's affinity for riding with Buckley on the bicycle's handlebars through Miami Beach, the rooster has turned into a famed tourist attraction over the last three years of his poultry residency in the eccentric town.

"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."

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

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.

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 Buckley sees this latest adventure with Mr. Clucky as another way to bring attention to the condition of animals caught in the factory farm system.

"We don't know what is happening at this point," Buckley said on Thursday to Zootoo Pet News. "But this will bring some poignancy to the issue of farm animals."

While Buckley and Mr. Clucky wait to see which direction the court's decision will go, Buckley's says he is happy knowing that the ordeal has already brought a community together.

This also includes a group of homeless vets which have vowed to Bucklay that they will hold a vigil for Mr. Clucky the eve of the hearing "to put a stop to this" as they consider the plucky Mr. Clucky family to them.

In response to the outpouring of supporters asking how else they can help, Buckley has put together a "Mr. Clucky song list."

"So people can put in the requests to the radio station to keep the energy going," Buckley said of the list which is posted on Mr. Clucky's Web site.

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

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