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Monday, June 28, 2010

Woman takes "Finch-gate" protest to Game Commission doorstep

Photo: Lancaster Intelligencer Journal

A woman whose pet finch was seized by the Pennsylvania Game Commission last month took her protest to the agency's Harrisburg headquarters today.

Patti Mattrick told commission board that game wardens verbally abused her, lied to her and threatened her when they removed the finch she had rescued four years earlier, saying she not a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, according to a report in the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal.

Game wardens appeared at her Elizabethtown door after being alerted to a story in the Lancaster paper about the bird's rescue.

Several of her supporters carrying protest signs told the commission that the game commission of being tyranical and "armed bullies."

Initially, game commission officials refused to explain their actions to Mattrick or the Lancaster Intelligencer reporter who wrote the story. It took the intervention of state Sen. Michael Brubaker (R., Lancaster) to find out whether the bird was still alive. The commission said the bird was taken to a rehabilitator.

But Mattrick she hasn't heard from the Game Commission since the day the bird was seized.

"I'd like to be able to see her and say good-bye," she told the Intelligencer. "They've lied a lot."

 

 
Posted by Amy Worden @ 11:24 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
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About Amy Worden
Amy Worden is a politics and government reporter for the Inquirer. In that capacity she has explored a range of animal issues from dog kennel law improvements and horse slaughter to the comeback of peregrine falcons and pigeon hunts. From hamsters to horses, animals have always been part of her life. To pass along a tip or contact Amy, click here.
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