Government Law
Judge Orders Couple to Remove Bird Feeders
Posted Apr 4, 2008, 10:49 am CST
By Molly McDonough
An Illinois couple who say they just wanted to enjoy seeing birds in their yard have been ordered to remove their feeders because neighbors complained they attracted too many pests to the area.
A Cook County judge ordered Halina and Richard Rogulski, of Prospect Heights, to empty their five feeders and keep them empty for six months.
Even in communist Russia, people could feed the birds, Halina told the Chicago Tribune.
"I was born in communist Russia, and in Russia, there was no freedom to pray . . . but not the birds. We could feed the birds," says the 73-year-old Polish immigrant and German labor camp survivor.
Neighbors reportedly complained that the feeders, including a dish the couple placed out for ducks, was a health hazard. Cook County Judge Alfred Levinson agreed, ruling the couple violated an unsanitary condition ordinance.
The Tribune notes, however, that the Rogulskis say that raccoons and other critters have "plagued" their subdivision for years.
Richard Rogulski, 76, also a Polish immigrant and labor camp survivor who served in the U.S. armed forces, told the Tribune that neighbors shouldn't be surprised to see animals in the area.
"It's like they suddenly discovered that there are animals: 'Oh! A raccoon walked through our yard!' " he's quoted saying.