My neighbor's kid stole my quail from my yard and after we confronted them he let it loose in the wild, what can I do?

[IrishNceladon]

My neighbor's kid has down syndrome and he has come on our property before and he has taken halters off our miniature horse stud head not once but twice after we confronted him the halters were found in the dirt in our property so we're well aware he comes on our property and steals so I had all my quail in large dog cages and all my cages had a outdoor clip on them but one, for it had better hinges on it so last night I had checked on them 12am or 1am in the morning and there was 7 pharaohs in the cage for I know one was in the house with chicks in the brooder for he's lethargic and I believe one is still loose in the house somewhere for I believe I have 9 pharohs in total anyway I had 2 roosters and the rest hens in the cage, I have one of my foundation hen raven, 2nd generation hens yellow, brindle and two Young other ones that are around 6 weeks for there recently started laying anyway I went outside today at noon and one of my pharohs hen was gone no cage door open and all my pharohs when they saw me had a flight response and all flew up to hit the top of the cage, my white ones were not disturbed or my tuxedos for my Tibetans were in the garage in a clean cage for I'm working on cleaning the rest of the cages I got one clean out last night and I'm working on other ones currently I need to wipe them out and put the rest of the quail in the garage anyway we went immediately to the police and file a report, a state trooper talk to me and said if there don't cooperate with us they will file charges and all I needed to do is call back the non emergency number with state Police so after we confronted the neighbors and I went in there barn I was looking around to see if the boy had something in his hands my mother told them if they don't return the bird now we're pressing charges, after that I was outside getting ready to clean a cage with soap and I heard the father tell the boy "you're in trouble" and then I see a pharoh Japanese quail flying in the air and I immediately went running towards it and it flew farther into our horse field I went over there and couldn't find it but the neighbors kid did have my rooster, after today when we got done with our errands at 3pm I had one rooster in the dog cage and the kid did put the pharoh hen back now I have a loose pharoh rooster, we follow the trooper advice and got a lock on the cage and the ones with outdoor clips he didn't touch but we used ultity tape to reinforce the cages, the neighbors kids never touch my 3 coral blue guinea fowl but he sure did take one of my prized roosters and they come from 2 bloodlines from two different states two different breeders and I hatched them from eggs, I've called animal control nobody answered, I call game Warden emergency number they said hire a private trapper they couldn't help me and tomorrow the trooper is going to call me back and I'm pressing charges for he's in trouble for the troopers told us it juvenile theft and he's going to jail, so now I'm worrying if the quail will return to his flock outside in the pens for now we have to leave the other out there to make him return, he's a juvenile rooster anyway, any advice would really help me for I'm devastated and we're financially broke now due to lawyer fees from handling my grandmother's estate. Please help

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Can you not ask the parents for money to replace the quail? Even if it is technically irreplaceable they have a responsibility to keep their child off of and out of other people’s property. It is hard with special needs kids but the parents should be the ones in trouble, not the kid. It could be very dangerous for the child and I’m surprised they aren’t offering to pay.

 

[IrishNceladon]

My neighbor's kid has down syndrome and he has come on our property before and he has taken halters off our miniature horse stud head not once but twice after we confronted them, the halters were found in the dirt on our property so we're well aware he comes on our property and steals. So I had all my quail in large dog cages and all my cages had a outdoor clip on them but one, for it had better hinges on it so last night I had checked on them 12am or 1am in the morning and there was 7 pharaohs in the cage for I know one was in the house with chicks in the brooder for he's lethargic and I believe one is still loose in the house somewhere for I believe I have 9 pharaohs in total anyway I had 2 roosters and the rest hens in the cage outside in the backyard, I have one of my foundation hen Raven, 2nd generation hens Yellow, Brindle and two young other ones that are around 6 weeks for there recently started laying anyway I went outside today at noon and one of my pharaohs hen was gone no cage door open and all my pharaohs when they saw me had a flight response and all flew up to hit the top of the cage, my white ones were not disturbed or my tuxedos for my Tibetans were in the garage in a clean cage for I'm working on cleaning the rest of the cages.I got one clean out last night and I'm working on other ones currently I need to wipe them out and put the rest of the quail in the garage. We went immediately to the police and file a report, a state trooper talk to us and said if there don't cooperate with us they will file charges and all I needed to do is call back the non emergency number with state Police so after we confronted the neighbors and I went in there barn I was looking around to see if the boy had something in his hands my mother told them if they don't return the bird now we're pressing charges, after that I was outside getting ready to clean a cage with soap and I heard the father tell the boy "you're in trouble" and then I see a pharaoh Japanese quail flying in the air and I immediately went running towards it and it flew farther into our horse field I went over there and couldn't find it but the neighbors kid did have my rooster, how it started, after today when we got done with our errands and talking to the police when got home at around 3pm I had one rooster in the dog cage and the kid did put the pharaoh hen back now I have a loose pharaoh rooster, we follow the trooper advice and got a lock on the cage and the ones with outdoor clips he didn't touch but we used utility tape to reinforce the cages, the neighbors kids never touch my 3 coral blue guinea fowl but he sure did take one of my prized roosters and they come from 2 bloodlines from two different states two different breeders and I hatched them from eggs, I've called animal control nobody answered, I call game Warden emergency number they said hire a private trapper they couldn't help me and tomorrow the trooper is going to call me back and I'm pressing charges for he's in trouble for the troopers told us it juvenile theft and he's going to jail, so now I'm worrying if the quail will return to his flock outside in the pens for now we have to leave the other out there to make him return, he's a juvenile rooster anyway, any advice would really help me for I'm devastated and we're financially broke now due to lawyer fees from handling my grandmother's estate. Please help
And the neighbors do not watch there kids they run around so much near our property line and on our property and the tenant of the neighbors are worried the kids there with down syndrome a boy and girl could get hit by a car for we live near a road connected to 2 busy highways, we're in Cecil county Maryland BTW so I know they would be considered a invasive species if they get loose (the quail).

 

[Fluffy_Butt_Hutt]

I agree that this is the parent's fault more than the kid's. Down syndrome does affect the brain and development and needs special help and attention. If this kid is 16-17, maybe I understand filing it against the kid, but it is still no less the parent's fault. What I'd aim for in criminal court is a monetary compensation/fine sourced from the parents and an ankle monitor on the kid. Possibly a way to get mental help for the kid too, since the parents do not seem to be doing their part. Locking up a disabled kid doesn't do anyone justice, nor does it help you pay for recapture of the roo or get a similar fertilized egg. The only reason I say to go to criminal court is that it is hard to get monitoring or help for the kid by settling outside of it. It probably will not end in a criminal charge, because of the kid's disability. In the end of the day, I am no expert, though.

Edits done for typos.

 

[azygous]

I have to deal with wild animals that want to mess with my infrastructure and my chickens. You have neighbors that are behaving like wildlife and messing with your infrastructure and animals. I believe the same sort of deterrence that has worked for me should work for your form of "wildlife".

Rig hot wire energized by a solar fence charger around the perimeter with special configuration at the points where those pests are entering your property. This system will not harm your animals, and the quail should be okay as long as the hot wire doesn't come too close to any metal fencing that the quail might want to rest on.

Throw the switch and station yourself in a spot where you can watch those brats experience the consequences. Very, very gratifying.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Have you said how old is the child?

 

[Fluffy_Butt_Hutt]

This is not to mention that you need un-refutable proof and record of anything happening being directly done by that child.

 

[Anon112]

I don't have any tips for re-capturing your roo. I'm really sorry about this situation.

If you don't already have them, a combination of cameras and BIG prominent signs announcing that you have cameras could be a good idea. I know that Ring cams can be programmed to sound a siren when they detect a person. This would also give you video/photographic evidence of his trespassing.

I'm a teacher and have worked with many children with many different disabilities. Even a child with really severe Down Syndrome can understand rules and boundaries. This is a tricky situation because things like having him arrested/charged could have really negative impacts for his future. And I'm not saying you're wrong at all to get the law involved, I just think it's an ethically tricky area. The above comments that the parents are really at fault are spot on.

If possible, and maybe with the help of a mediator (like a neighbor who gets along with you and this child's parents), perhaps you could have a conversation. If not, you could send a notarized letter. Either way, it could say: first, that you have suffered loss of your animals; second, that you are putting in place cameras to document what happens on your property; and third, that you will prosecute and or use civil court to recoup any losses. Include the amount you will be asking for each animal, and make those numbers LARGE. This should incentivize them to keep better watch over their child.

And while this is a bit more extreme: a child with a disability is being allowed to roam out of his parents' supervision, bringing him into situations (like going near your horses) that could result in injury or death. This is neglect, and it would be grounds for a call to child protective services in your area. This could actually be more effective than going the criminal route.

I guess my final thought is that you know your neighbors best. Things like criminal charges, a call to CPS, a letter, etc, can all be read as "aggressive" by some people.

Things like installing better locks on your cages, putting up cameras, etc, are more defensive. I'm a really non-confrontational person, so I tend to go much more in the defensive direction when protecting myself and my animals.

You should choose an approach based not only on what feels "fair" in the moment, but what is also least likely to lead you into a more intense situation.

 

[Fluffy_Butt_Hutt]

I don't have any tips for re-capturing your roo. I'm really sorry about this situation.

If you don't already have them, a combination of cameras and BIG prominent signs announcing that you have cameras could be a good idea. I know that Ring cams can be programmed to sound a siren when they detect a person. This would also give you video/photographic evidence of his trespassing.

I'm a teacher and have worked with many children with many different disabilities. Even a child with really severe Down Syndrome can understand rules and boundaries. This is a tricky situation because things like having him arrested/charged could have really negative impacts for his future. And I'm not saying you're wrong at all to get the law involved, I just think it's an ethically tricky area. The above comments that the parents are really at fault are spot on.

If possible, and maybe with the help of a mediator (like a neighbor who gets along with you and this child's parents), perhaps you could have a conversation. If not, you could send a notarized letter. Either way, it could say: first, that you have suffered loss of your animals; second, that you are putting in place cameras to document what happens on your property; and third, that you will prosecute and or use civil court to recoup any losses. Include the amount you will be asking for each animal, and make those numbers LARGE. This should incentivize them to keep better watch over their child.

And while this is a bit more extreme: a child with a disability is being allowed to roam out of his parents' supervision, bringing him into situations (like going near your horses) that could result in injury or death. This is neglect, and it would be grounds for a call to child protective services in your area. This could actually be more effective than going the criminal route.

I guess my final thought is that you know your neighbors best. Things like criminal charges, a call to CPS, a letter, etc, can all be read as "aggressive" by some people.

Things like installing better locks on your cages, putting up cameras, etc, are more defensive. I'm a really non-confrontational person, so I tend to go much more in the defensive direction when protecting myself and my animals.

You should choose an approach based not only on what feels "fair" in the moment, but what is also least likely to lead you into a more intense situation.

I agree, but I do not believe CPS would do something in this situation, unfortunately. Putting a child into a flawed system permanently is usually their last resort, so they avoid, and often don't even contact back for cases, doing something like removing the kid. That's not to say to not to try calling them anyways. The age of the child is very important here.