ANNA MARIA ISLAND – 

Anna Maria Island is dealing with some unwanted guests, as someone has dropped off a group of chickens for the second time in a few weeks.

Crews from Wildlife Incorporated caught the birds, and are now looking for a new home for them.

The hens and roosters were found off of Beach Avenue on Holmes Beach. Nearby residents had complained about the birds.

"Because they come here for vacation, they don’t really want to be woken up at 5 in the morning by the roosters," said Gail Straight, who works with Wildlife Inc.

Straight said they wanted to catch the birds before they multiplied. her grandson, Devon, who helped, said it took them over an hour to get all of them in the cages.

"It’s takes a good technique, as long as you catch them and they don’t get out of the cage," he said.

In all, they caught 12, but they believe there might be more out there.

Straight said she thinks the bird dumping is the work of a prankster. However, she’s not laughing.

"These birds were dumped out with no food, no water, nothing," she said.

Dumping chickens or any other non native species out in the wild is against the law. Violators could face a fine and jail time.

Straight said they’re now looking for someone to take the chickens and hopes they’re not called out to get anymore anytime soon. If you are interested in adopting the chickens, or learning more about Wildlife Inc., go to their website at: wildlifeinc.org.