“This is for everyone who’s ever been told they couldn’t make it, everyone who’s been told they’re ‘too old’, ‘too bold’, ‘too much at risk of transmitting avian flu’... They tried to keep me down, but you can’t stop this chook!”
The Chicken was giving us every angle in their first return to modelling in over two years. “It had been a really rough time,” they clucked. “I actually had to hang up the giblets for a while. I just got too wrapped up in the whole scene and needed to take a step back. I felt like I needed to just go out and cross that road, you know? Couldn’t tell you why, though.”
If you don’t know The Chicken, you’re missing out. The ever-loved mascot of the Zoo has been slinging t-shirts and cheering on the Highlanders for years, always a fan favourite. Their sudden departure had many students concerned, and when we tried to reach out we just got a standard response from the chook’s manager: “Sorry, but The Chicken isn’t available for publicity tours at the moment.”
But everything changed when we got a DM from the avian acrobat themself. Turns out, the brief hiatus was just what the doctor ordered: “I’m feeling so refreshed, my plumage is looking silky as ever, and just look at my legs!” But can we expect a potential return to the field in our future?
“I dunno, it’s definitely something I’m thinking about,” said The Chicken. “I mean, my brain is literally the size of a pea, so it does take me a while to make complex decisions. But I do miss it… the roar of the crowd, the bright lights, the celebrity status. Nobody does I like Otago. It does get addictive!” In recent years, as we’ve reported, attendance in the Zoo hasn’t been as strong post-VID. The bird was devastated to hear this, but suggested that “maybe all you need is someone to come back and get the crowd whipped up… I wonder who could do that!”
The Chicken said that their potential return was “inspired by so many other avian role models” redefining what it means to be a cluckergirl. “Like, it’s not all about image these days, you don’t just have to have the wrinkliest giblets, you don't have to have the loudest caw, you just have to be a good role model! It’s great, it’s so inspiring.”
They pointed to the Bluebird Penguin and the Duolingo owl as personal inspirations. “Chip is just such a legend in this space, has always been sticking up for the little chicks, it’s so good to see them on prime time… and Duo! Man, I’ve got some stories about Duo,” they laughed. “Never been afraid to ruffle some feathers, that one.” It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for bird mascots, said the chook. “I mean, just look at what happened to the poor Twitter bird: literally X’d out by the boss. I mean that’s just so heartbreaking to see.”
While they consider coming back to the field, The Chicken is just spending time focusing on themselves. “I’ve gotten really into self-improvement, you know? Stuff like making sure my beak is clean, going for walks, that sort of thing. I actually wanted to get into charity work, building houses for the vulnerable, y’know? But they told me I couldn’t because I was a chicken, or something, and I thought that was just outrageous.”
“They say you’re too old, too this, too that. I say ‘whatever’. I say spread your wings and fly.”
Will the bombastic bird make a return to the Zoo? Time will tell.