Screams for help lead to odd source in western North Carolina, officials say
A search-and-rescue operation in the North Carolina mountains came to a comical conclusion when it turned out the “male” yelling help was actually a boisterous chicken.
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And it belonged to the chief of the search and rescue department.
Chief Brent Hayner of Broad River Vol. Fire & Rescue in Black Mountain says the 911 call came just before 9 a.m. Sunday, in an area that hosts “several dozen” AirBnBs homestays.
“Caller advised they believed that they could hear a male off in the distance yelling ‘Help’,” Hayner said in a Facebook post.
“The particular call came from a home that sits fairly close to mine. … I arrived within a couple of minutes meeting the caller to get a sense of direction for what they heard. As soon as I stepped out I could hear my own chicken that was about 75 to 80 yards away through thick vegetation, and the caller says that’s what we have been hearing.”
Turns out barnyard sounds can be filtered into something spooky when heard at a distance through heavy vegetation, he said. Hayner likened the noise to “a cross between a chicken, crow and rooster combined.”
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“I recognized the clucking and explained what it was. Honestly it sounded different to me at that distance,” he said. “I did explain to not ever be discouraged calling 911. It is a lot better to be safe.”
The scenario has gotten laughs on social media.
“That’s what happens when city folk move to the country!” Bull Shumaker wrote on the department’s Facebook page.
“Thank you for your quick response, that poor hen could have been in serious distress,” Gary Curtis wrote.
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Black Mountain is about a 115-mile drive northwest from uptown Charlotte.
