This situation is just a real downer.
Last week, a commuter made a rather cruel decision by leaving a chicken behind on a train in Queens. This unfortunate act resulted in the MTA pulling the train from service and led to animal control having to euthanize the poor creature.
The little white chicken was discovered huddling inside a halted W train at the Astoria Ditmars station around 5:20 a.m. on Thursday morning, as reported.
The scared bird had spent the entire night alone, apparently in a state of distress, next to a mess it had made.
Sadly, it turned out that the bird was unwell and had to be put down.
“Unfortunately, the chicken was in critical condition and had to be humanely euthanized,” a representative from the city’s animal shelter informed the media.
It’s unclear if the chicken was sick before being abandoned or if the owner left it due to its illness. The precise illness affecting the bird wasn’t disclosed.
Surveillance footage revealed the heartless owner carrying the chicken from a platform in northern Queens onto the train around 9:30 p.m. the previous night.
Interestingly, he even showed off his egg-laying pet to other passengers while on board.
However, at some point, he simply placed the chicken on the seat beside him before leaving the car.
“The chicken remained seated,” a source mentioned, adding that it “sat properly and respectfully” during the ride, seemingly not causing any disruptions.
Unfortunately, the crew did not notice the bird during their checks and parked the train south of Astoria Ditmars around 10:30 p.m.
After a long, cold night, the lonely bird was finally found by the crew of the following train.
The train operator reported that the bird “refused to depart” and “made a mess inside the train,” leading to issues for that morning’s schedule.
As it stood, the train was too dirty to run as a southbound W train at 6 a.m., and letting a chicken loose among waiting passengers at the station didn’t seem like a good idea either.
Consequently, authorities canceled the train and redirected it to the Coney Island Yard, with the chicken as its only passenger.
Eventually, the bird was handed over to NYCACC and sadly euthanized.
A spokesperson didn’t have more information on the chicken’s condition.
Furthermore, it remains uncertain whether the previous owner might face any repercussions for abandoning the bird.
