Noisy Swazi cockerels face chop

Cockerels are deemed a nuisance as they are too noisy

Noisy cockerels are facing the chop in Swaziland's capital, as the city authorities enforce a law that makes it illegal to keep them in Mbabane.

"People have been complaining about cocks that make noise," a Mbabane municipal spokesman told the BBC.

Spokesman Bongani Dlamini said the council has launched an operation to confiscate the offending animals.

An old city law prohibits "nuisances", he said, including noise pollution and the rearing of certain animals.

'In hiding'

"It is against the law to keep cocks within the urban area. You're only allowed to keep a certain number of hens, for example 12, that's the maximum," Mr Dlamini told the BBC's Network Africa programme.

Although some residents have disposed of their cockerels following the order, others are hiding their animals to avoid confiscation, he said.

"We're not saying there's a band of cockerels making noise, singing all over town," he said.

"It's not like that. There are a few people, here and there, who are rearing cocks and those cocks, the moment they make noise, they irritate our residents," he said.

Mbabane residents are allowed to keep less noisy animals for domestic use.

They have to get special permits to farm animals commercially, and be situated in an area demarcated for farming.