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This writing was accepted for publication in the 108 page perfect-bound ISSN#/ISBN# issue/book “War of Water” cc&d, v282 (the April 2018 issue) Order this as a 6"x9" paperback book:  |
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Bird Island, Chapter 18: Bird’s Death
Patrick Fealey
WICKFORD – The sheriff came to town Wednesday to see about an outlaw who has been bumming clam strips off tourists.
Jeckyl was liked and considered friendly by many, but to some he was frightening and aggressive.
Yesterday, officers from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) destroyed the crow which had been making rounds to restaurants and gift shops for almost a week.
Jeckyl, as he was affectionately named, had many friends and even spawned a fan club which had his image printed on t-shirts. He was shot to death by DEM officers in the lot behind The Clam Shack on Wednesday after the DEM received complaints from tourists and local business owners.
Ed Collins, a pharmacist at Wendell Drug, said Jeckyl might have been sick. “He didn’t hurt anyone and seemed friendly enough, but he was going right up to people while they were eating. When wild birds act like that, you have to consider disease. Jeckyl could have been a Hyde.”
Patricia Morris, of the Audubon Society, sees it differently. “We are talking about a highly intelligent animal, smarter than the men who shot it. The state came down here without warning. Nobody was given a say. Jeckyl could have been somebody’s pet. I’d like to believe this could have had a happy ending, but the bird was outnumbered by homicidal idiots.”
