Pheasants raised by New York inmates released into wild

COLLINS, N.Y. (AP) - A flock of pheasants raised by inmates at a New York prison has been set free.

Erie County Sheriff Timothy Howard says 250 pheasants were released Friday into state-owned parkland at Zoar Valley in western New York.

Inmates at the Erie County Correctional Facility raised the birds as part of a partnership with the Department of Conservation to increase the region’s pheasant population.

The inmates helped with Friday’s release, which was the second of several that are planned.