Warning: If the thought of rotting chicken is something that will put you off your lunch, stop reading now. Because law enforcement near Missoula, MT have quite a bit of a smelly headache to deal with, after a trucker abandoned a trailer packed with 35,000 pounds of raw chicken at a truck stop on Tuesday.

County sheriff’s deputies found the trailer sitting mostly unnoticed at the truck stop, juices dripping out of it and flies gathering at the feast of rancid meat, reports the Missoulian.

The public information officer for the sheriff’s office says the truck and trailer were reported stolen by a freight company in the last few days, after the driver — an employee of the company — texted his bosses saying he’d return the load of chicken if they paid him a ransom.

While the chicken is worth about $80,000, officials say, the company declined to pay up. All that chicken is definitely inedible now.

“I noticed (the trailer) sitting there when I came out Saturday,” said the manager of the truck stop. “I keep an eye on how long trucks have been sitting there. You need to know if someone’s in the truck. In this case, it’s chicken.”

Health officials visited the truck stop yesterday to figure out the best way to get rid of all those smelly carcasses, but have left the trailer shut and haven’t moved it since discovering its cargo.

Our thoughts are with whoever is the first person to pull those doors open. May your nose protection be strong, friend.

35,000 pounds of rotting chickens abandoned at Missoula Wye [Missoulian]

Correction: This article originally stated the trucker was ransoming 350,000 pounds of chicken. The correct amount is 35,000 pounds.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.