Court orders removal of pensioner's 'therapy' roosters over noise complaints
A disability pensioner has been ordered to remove his three consistently crowing pet roosters — which he considers to be "therapeutic animals" — from his property in regional South Australia.
A court has ruled that a disabled pensioner must remove his three pet roosters from his home in a quiet residential area in Adelaide Plains Council, South Australia. The man argued that the roosters were therapeutic animals helping him manage his complex post-traumatic stress disorder, but the court found that their constant crowing was likely intolerable to neighbors.
The Environment, Resources and Development Court ordered the pensioner to remove the roosters within 14 days and banned him from keeping any others at his property. The council received multiple noise complaints and engaged an acoustic engineer who confirmed the birds were audible and dominant in the environment. Despite the man's attempts to reduce the noise, they continued throughout the day.
The court noted that the man's disability was genuine and that removing the roosters would not constitute discrimination. The order does not apply to other birds the man may keep, such as hens, and he must pay the council's costs.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
