Group seeks tougher penalties for killing birds

[pigeonperson]

http://tinyurl.com/39b6kw


Group seeks tougher penalties for killing birds
Crime - An Audubon leader says two pigeon keepers got a slap on the wrist for killing hawks
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
MICHAEL MILSTEIN
The Oregonian Staff

Frustrated by the sentences of two Portland-area pigeon hobbyists who tried to kill protected hawks and raptors, the Audubon Society of Portland wants Congress to establish more severe penalties for killing migratory birds.

The group said U.S. District Judge Ancer Haggerty broke faith with the public last week by letting the two pigeon keepers off with $4,000 each in penalties and a year of probation.

Audubon leaders said the sentences for some of the most egregious offenses against birds in the region show courts do not take wildlife crimes seriously enough.

Prosecutors had sought fines of $10,000 each, and the defense attorney for one of the men suggested a fine of $7,500, said Bob Sallinger, conservation director at the Audubon Society of Portland. The prosecutors cited public outrage over the case, in which one of the men boasted of suffocating hawks in garbage bags.

The sentences issued by Haggerty were "nothing more than a stiff slap on the wrist," Sallinger said. Though the penalties were substantial for the charges -- misdemeanor violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act -- they did not measure up to the egregious nature of the crimes, he said.

"These cases send a terrible message to both future hawk killers and the community at large," he said.

Sallinger is talking with Oregon's congressional delegation about amending the Migratory Bird Treaty Act so that intentional, wanton killing of protected birds could be treated as felonies carrying much stiffer sentences. Jillian Schoene, a spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. David Wu, said Wu's office is discussing options with the Audubon Society.

Portland Mayor Tom Potter and Metro Council President David Bragdon both called for tough penalties against the men who targeted hawks and other raptors. Federal officials also received letters and e-mails from the public demanding serious sanctions.

Peter Kaufman and Ivan Hanchett were sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty. A third defendant has pleaded guilty but has yet to be sentenced.

Two others also have been charged.

Kaufman and Hanchett were leaders of a local group called the Northwest Roller Jockeys, centered on roller pigeons that are known for their habit of tumbling in flight. The tumbling tended to attract hawks and other raptors looking to prey on the pigeons, and the men described to undercover agents their practice of trapping and killing the hawks.

Kaufman had a trap set in his Southeast Portland backyard to catch hawks or falcons, agents reported in court documents.

Hanchett told an agent that Kaufman had killed 30 hawks in a 45-day period. Hanchett admitted shooting hawks on many occasions, including an incident in which he shot one with a shotgun that led Hillsboro police to respond to a report of shots fired.

Michael Milstein: 503-294-7689; michaelmilstein@ news.oregonian.com For more environment news, go to http://blog.oregonlive.com/pdxgreen

[John_D]

Wonder how tough they'd want to get with people killing pigeons

John

[Charis]

Originally Posted by John_D

Wonder how tough they'd want to get with people killing pigeons

John

I do know Bob Sallinger from Audubon Society and I can tell you that he would be just as angered with the same killing of any bird or animal. I have know him nearly 20 years and he has made many personal sacrifices to help creatures no one else thought of value...feral pigeons included.

[TAWhatley]

Originally Posted by Charis

I do know Bob Sallinger from Audubon Society and I can tell you that he would be just as angered with the same killing of any bird or animal. I have know him nearly 20 years and he has made many personal sacrifices to help creates no one else thought of value...feral pigeons included.

He is a wonderful exception then .. there is much "snobbery" here in So Cal when it comes to most groups like the Audubon Society caring a whit for any non-native species.

Terry

[John_D]

Originally Posted by Charis

I do know Bob Sallinger from Audubon Society and I can tell you that he would be just as angered with the same killing of any bird or animal. I have know him nearly 20 years and he has made many personal sacrifices to help creatures no one else thought of value...feral pigeons included.

That's good news.

John

[Charis]

I just had a chat with my friend Deb, who is the veterinarian at the Audubon Wildlife Care Center and we talked about the article posted in this thread. She and Bob Sallinger work very closely together and they have known each other for years and years too. Deb said that Bob's message is that cruelty to wildlife should have the same penalty be the wildlife native or not. Cruelty is cruelty and they will be advocating for stiffer penalties.
FYI, both Deb and Bob have or have had pigeons.

[re lee]

While it may be wrong for what was done. There needs to be some protection for people with birds Be it pigeon or chickens. Hawks do not seek out just rollers. ANY pigeon if its out is subject to be taken. I know nature takes care of its self. BUT man kind has changed nature for good. Taking the lands. killing the food chain and such. Balance says a certion amount of birds of prey can live in todays worl Take that out of bance and other birds song birds any bird is Over taken. Just as deer when over populated more are allowed to be hunted. Cooper hawks are at a level That has been higher then many who are here They Will there numbers over come other birds of prey and threaten there exsistance? Time will tell Remember man has changed the wild by claiming most of these lands I am not defending wrong But saying Does your pigeons need protection They are part of nature too.

[george simon]

I agree with you R.E. its time that people look at the cooper hawks menu it includes many endangered birds.We have no way of telling how many song birds are killed by the cooper hawk. When a cooper kills one of my pigeons that has young I can raise that youngster but who will raise the song birds that are in the nest?? While our rehabbers do a woundful job you can be sure that they only cover a small part of the birds of the birds in need. I wish that people would think and not be lead down some primrose path. ..........GEORGE

[JGregg]

When a hawk takes out a songbird (endangered or not) it is an act of nature, regardless of any artificial inflation of accipiter (short winged "true" hawks) numbers and retaliation by shooting the hawk in question is way out of line. If the same principle is applied to pigeons, the success of pigeons is due to their ability to adapt to man made environments (like the accipters) and attempting to control their numbers by poisoning or another means is just as wrong. When a hawk takes down a pigeon it is a natural occurrence, if you don't want your pigeons eaten by hawks protect them by flying them in a flight cage.

And yes, one of my pigeons was killed by an acciptier during its soft release.

[TheSnipes]

Originally Posted by John_D

Wonder how tough they'd want to get with people killing pigeons

John

Theyd' probably give them a commendation for a public service

[TheSnipes]

Originally Posted by Charis

I just had a chat with my friend Deb, who is the veterinarian at the Audubon Wildlife Care Center and we talked about the article posted in this thread. She and Bob Sallinger work very closely together and they have known each other for years and years too. Deb said that Bob's message is that cruelty to wildlife should have the same penalty be the wildlife native or not. Cruelty is cruelty and they will be advocating for stiffer penalties.
FYI, both Deb and Bob have or have had pigeons.

Given the extremes gone to - i mean what's mentioned in the article, suffocating birds in garbage bags, who knows what else...I agree that they got off too lightly. There is something very wrong with mean people

[re lee]

It is fine to hope. But we have todays world. Agin man has changed the course of nature With that There is so much room for hawks, so much room for bears ,wolfs ect. To preserve certion types be it birds or animals Ares are put in refuge. Then controled culling is still done . Agin killing those coopers was wrong BUT can they be trapped relocated or put in aiveries The ones that are known to keep coming back Killing say YOUR birds. Its like If a hawk fed off say small dogs YOU bet somthing would be done to stop that. I like seeing the hawks fly And Know they hunt for food Its there way. Every time a bear comes into a town its trapped or killed Its just wanting food. I do not know the listed numbers of cooper hawks in THe U S perhaps some of you know. Then othere hawks. AND falcons that were brought in ONLY to kill pigeons In the cities Then bred and scattered. Balance And with human spread Balance is that reduced numbers Will happen. I can remember rabbits were just every where You do not see many now. All in all I say the laws do not not need to be stronger The hawks has made a strong return. The few that get caught up in killing and get caught Sure learn from there mistake I am sure. Pigeons are born knowing of the hawk. But the hawk is becoming lazy or lost coming to the towns for an easy meal. That is not hunting Its like going to Mc donalds Theres one everywhere. In the wild the hwak must hunt In town Theres something out of balance.

[george simon]

I just thought that some of you might like to know what the Coopers hawk eats.Flickers, Woodpeckers Morning doves,Robins,Quail,Blue Jays,Meadowlarks,young Pheasants,takes Young Songbirds out of the nest,.........This list comes from the Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds.I am sure there other birds that the Coopers take we all know they take PIGEONS and they were not on the list. .GEORGE

[feralpigeon]

Originally Posted by re lee

.......Its like If a hawk fed off say small dogs YOU bet somthing would be done to stop that. I like seeing the hawks fly And Know they hunt for food Its there way. Every time a bear comes into a town its trapped or killed Its just wanting food. I do not know the listed numbers of cooper hawks in THe U S perhaps some of you know. Then othere hawks. AND falcons that were brought in ONLY to kill pigeons In the cities Then bred and scattered. Balance And with human spread Balance is that reduced numbers Will happen. I can remember rabbits were just every where You do not see many now. All in all I say the laws do not not need to be stronger The hawks has made a strong return. The few that get caught up in killing and get caught Sure learn from there mistake I am sure. Pigeons are born knowing of the hawk. But the hawk is becoming lazy or lost coming to the towns for an easy meal. That is not hunting Its like going to Mc donalds Theres one everywhere. In the wild the hwak must hunt In town Theres something out of balance.

Interestingly enough, one of the vendors at work lives in San Francisco and
told me a story of how he had looked up in the air and saw a hawk flying
while carrying a cat who was still alive in its' claws. He was very concerned
that his mother's dog could be picked up like that and carried off and eaten
alive. I've seen a hawk sitting on a phone wire eyeing a cat underneath it.
Another vendor told me a story yesterday equally shocking. While
in a Safeway parking lot, he saw something in the gargage can. He got
a little closer to see what it was and a Redtailed Hawk came out of the
garbage can w/a bag that had food in it and flew off w/the bag. This past
week, the hawks have been so plentiful that every where I've stopped to
feed the ferals, there has been a hawk or falcon. I've never seen the
numbers be this high, this year it's been off the hook....

fp

[flitsnowzoom]

I've seen more hawks, magpies, crows and ravens this year over past years. Part of it is directly related to the ever-encroaching urban-rural interface. We are displacing many creatures from their natural environment so either they are adapting to human "interference" or they continue to lose out in the race for survival. The magpies will get in the garbage and drag out food to eat. The little and big hawks have been displaced from a former wildlife refuge and are now hunting in the suburban and urban environment.