The mystery surrounding a pink poultry prank in Portland , Oregon , has been solved . Bruce Whitman used food coloring , beet juice and Kool-Aid to dye the two chickens , then released them on the city ; s waterfront on Thursday . The chicken owner said he let the brightly-colored birds loose because he wanted to 'make people smile ' . Scroll down for video . Oregon man Bruce Whitman used food coloring , beet juice and Kool-Aid to dye the two chickens in Portland . Whitman paid $ 32 to get his birds back , the standard impound fee , from Multnomah County Animal Services . The bartender said he let the brightly-colored birds go on Thursday because he wanted to 'make people smile ' Whitman , a bartender who is studying to be an airline pilot , put the chickens in a tree along the waterfront at about 1am on Thursday morning , the Oregonian reported . When the sleeping birds awoke around dawn and started to draw attention , they were seized by officers from Multnomah County Animal Services . The department 's Facebook page was soon covered with thousands of comments . On Friday , Whitman paid $ 32 to get his birds back , the standard impound fee . Multnomah County wrote : 'Our Animal Control officer had a gentle but firm discussion about allowing the chickens to wander , then sent them all home . So ends the Pink Chicken caper ! ' Whitman pulled the chicken caper as a joke ahead of Easter , KPTV reported . He said : 'Every time I thought about doing dyeing an animal , pink makes me smile . ' I wanted to take them down there , have people wake up , walk down to the waterfront and smile , have a laugh , and start their day off right . ' A green cat in Varna , Bulgaria , became an internet sensation after it was spotted prowling through the town . It is believed the cat got its color from getting into paint at the nearby construction yard where she lives . Despite his successful stunt , Whitman is not planning to do it again anytime soon . This is n't the first time oddly-colored animals have been in the news . A green cat in Varna , Bulgaria , became an internet sensation after it was spotted prowling through the seaside resort town . It is believed the cat got its color from paint at the nearby construction yard where she lives .
Oregon man Bruce Whitman let chickens loose on waterfront on Thursday . He used food coloring , beet juice and Kool-Aid to dye the thousands birds . Multnomah County Animal Services seized both of the chickens . Whitman paid $ 32 to get his birds back and was given a firm talking to .