St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office reported the child and 'Ole Foghorn' were doing well
A Louisiana child was found safe after being reported missing last week — along with something "fowl" in the boy's backpack.
"Storytime!" wrote the St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office in a Friday, May 31 post on its Facebook page.
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"Hey folks, gather around for a wild little tale from Friday morning," said the sheriff's office in the post.
That morning, "a youngster decided to embark on an adventure, leaving home in search of a new life," the office said. "Let's be honest, we've all been there at some point in our youth."
The St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office is asking for help after a child, and a chicken that did not belong with that child, were recently discovered in Louisiana. (St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office)
A deputy quickly found the child, whose name, age and location were not identified by the sheriff's office, according to the post.
"But there was an unexpected twist," it said. "Along for the ride, tucked away in the kid's backpack, was none other than a rooster!"
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"Yep, you read that right. Ole Foghorn here was a bit shaken up but unharmed," said the St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office.
The name is a reference to the Looney Tunes character Foghorn Leghorn.
The Facebook post included a picture of a large chicken that had been jammed into a Pokémon-themed backpack.
"We have a bit of a mystery on our hands."
While this story may have seemed amusing to some people online, there was more to it, said the post.
"Now, here's the kicker — the rooster did not belong to the kid, and we're still scratching our heads as to how exactly he ended up with it," the office said.
"So, we have a bit of a mystery on our hands and, well, a rooster," said the post, adding emojis of a shrugging man and a rooster.
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The office asked anyone with information about the rooster to please contact it.
The rooster, meanwhile, is apparently doing well.
"Ole Foghorn," said the sheriff's office, is presently "cooped up in the Witness Protection Program over at the Patterson Animal Control, but we figure he would prefer to be back home where he belongs!"
The sheriff's office dubbed the bird Ole Foghorn, presumably after the Looney Tunes character Foghorn Leghorn (shown above, center). (Karl Gehring/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
The post concluded with the hashtags "#LostAndFound," "#RoosterMystery," "#CommunityHelp," "#AnyoneMissingARooster," and "#WhatAFridayThisHasBeenAlready."
The post was shared over 250 times, with many people expressing amusement at the absurdity of the situation — and pointing out a key detail the sheriff's office had missed.
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"Thing is it’s not a rooster, it’s a hen," said one Facebook user, with others concurring.
Was it a rooster or a hen found in a Louisiana child's backpack? Either way, it was fowl. (iStock)
"Somebody call CPS — chicken protection service," said another.
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"And how do we know the rooster and the kid were not in cahoots to leave for a better life," joked another Facebook user.
St. Mary Parish is located in southern Louisiana.
The St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office told Fox News Digital via email that it was not sure if the chicken had been recovered over the weekend.
Christine Rousselle is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.
