A wandering hen was taken into custody after it sneaked into a secure area near the Pentagon on Monday, a local animal welfare organisation has said.
According to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, Virginia, the hen was spotted by security officials at a security checkpoint near the US Department of Defense, following which the League responded and took her into custody.
“Apparently, the answer to “why did the chicken cross the road” is…. to get to the Pentagon?! Very early this morning, this chicken was caught sneaking around the security area at the Pentagon (we’re not kidding) and our officers were called to come pick her up,” wrote the League on their Instagram page following the capture.
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While the League said that it could not reveal the exact location where the hen was captured due to reasons related to security, it said that the hen was “nervous” when it got taken into custody. However, Chelsea Jones, a spokesperson for the organization, said that the hen was also “sweet” and allowed her captors to pet her.
Since being taken into custody, however, the hen has quickly grown fond of her new home and her newfound fame. She has since been given the name Henny Penny (also known as Chicken Little in the US) after a popular children’s tale about a chicken who believes that the world is coming to an end.
Henny Penny’s story has reached many ears too, including that of ‘The Tonight Show’ host Jimmy Fallon, who even performed and sang a song about the chicken’s little adventure.
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The League, which played Fallon’s performance for Henny Penny to see, wrote, “Henny Penny is so honored that he wrote a song about her! She loves it…but she has some feeling about the BBQ sauce line as you can see. But she says she’ll overlook that.”
Henny Penny’s time with the League, however, will not last long as she is slated to be transported to her new home at a local animal sanctuary this weekend.