PIGEON PLIGHT: Owner of facility secrets his flock to a safe place outside the city

[nicole]

Not sure what to think.. He is helping hundreds but admits to euthanizing thousands.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/56878382.html?numComments=18

[TerriB]

Originally Posted by nicole

Not sure what to think.. He is helping hundreds but admits to euthanizing thousands. ...

"...He admits to exterminating many of the birds because they were injured, too hard to catch or were carrying diseases...."

Seems like he was doing the best he could for the birds he found with the resources he had.

[Columba livia!]

He's a hero in my book!

[nicole]

Spoke with him yesterday. This is how it works: He goes in and captures about 95 percent of them, then uses an air rifle to shoot the remaining 5 percent. He takes the captured pigeons back to the intake facility, gives them antibiotics, weeds out the ones that are sick, and then houses the remaining ones.
However, there are jobs where he says he doesn't save any of the birds, such as our local garbage dump's transfer facility. He and his team recently went in and shot all 2,000 pigeons there, because he said they couldn't be rehabilitated as they were full of grease and had been living off garbage. There a few more of these facilities where he will be doing the same.

[maryjane]

Originally Posted by nicole

Spoke with him yesterday. This is how it works: He goes in and captures about 95 percent of them, then uses an air rifle to shoot the remaining 5 percent. He takes the captured pigeons back to the intake facility, gives them antibiotics, weeds out the ones that are sick, and then houses the remaining ones.
However, there are jobs where he says he doesn't save any of the birds, such as our local garbage dump's transfer facility. He and his team recently went in and shot all 2,000 pigeons there, because he said they couldn't be rehabilitated as they were full of grease and had been living off garbage. There a few more of these facilities where he will be doing the same.

I wonder if there isn't something we (Pigeon Talk members) couldn't do to help? To have to kill so many because they're greasy and live off garbage--so what? That seems like it would be the least of the problems with some of the ones needing rehab. I mean, if they could be trapped, couldn't we somehow split them up like we did with the king pigeon caravan? It just seems that here's someone who's willing to work with the pigeons and pigeon people, we should take advantage of it and try to help save some of the ones slated for death.

[plamenh]

What most of the people do not understand is that there is always balance in the nature. People as this you are talking about, remove pigeons from one area. Food is still there, because garbage remains unchanged. This gives opportunity to other animals as rats and mice and raccoons and jackals to step in and breed. Mammals are bit more dangerous for humans because they carry diseases which affect people more than birds’ diseases.
Lack of information to the wide public is what creates negative attitude towards birds and pigeons in particular.

[nicole]

MaryJane, I agree. I am willing to help. I have a pij (Greaser) who was covered in restaurant grease, and after a while, and many, many baths, he is a happy bird, paired with one of my handicapped girls.
He's been getting lessons from racers, maybe it's time some rehabbers help him, too.

[Fbirdie82]

Pigeons are not native to the United States. They are an invasive species from Europe that competes with our native wildlife for the same resources. Unfortunately, we humans have destroyed so much natural habitat and turned it into "urban jungles" where pigeons actually thrive but our native species cannot. We have literally invited these so called "pests" and now we complain that they are here. Kind of ironic, isn't it?

While I don't agree with promoting the reproduction of wild invasive species, I think these people are absurd to take these birds away from this man who is obviously providing them with proper care. I can't see how having them is hurting anybody. And what the heck are they going to do with them!? If they set them loose then people will complain even more. And I want to see them try to adopt them all out. People just don't think.

What we need to do is educate people. Do it without being in their face, and they are more likely to listen. It will take time, but if people understand that pigeons do not transmit disease to humans (or domesticated birds for that matter), then they would not be as quick to want to destroy them. If we show them the value of pigeons, and all the things that cause us to love these birds, perhaps others will share our passion. Win-win situation for everybody but the native wildlife!

[spirit wings]

Originally Posted by Fbirdie82

Pigeons are not native to the United States. They are an invasive species from Europe that competes with our native wildlife for the same resources. Unfortunately, we humans have destroyed so much natural habitat and turned it into "urban jungles" where pigeons actually thrive but our native species cannot. We have literally invited these so called "pests" and now we complain that they are here. Kind of ironic, isn't it?

While I don't agree with promoting the reproduction of wild invasive species, I think these people are absurd to take these birds away from this man who is obviously providing them with proper care. I can't see how having them is hurting anybody. And what the heck are they going to do with them!? If they set them loose then people will complain even more. And I want to see them try to adopt them all out. People just don't think.

What we need to do is educate people. Do it without being in their face, and they are more likely to listen. It will take time, but if people understand that pigeons do not transmit disease to humans (or domesticated birds for that matter), then they would not be as quick to want to destroy them. If we show them the value of pigeons, and all the things that cause us to love these birds, perhaps others will share our passion. Win-win situation for everybody but the native wildlife!

well said, IMO. 2,000 birds is alot! but there were alot of pigeons here at one time, the passenger pigeon, so maybe to look at it as these ferals can take the place of those(passenger pigeons) taken from existence years ago and adopt them as a native species and call it a day..... ain't gonna happen is it...oh well it's a thought.

[Fbirdie82]

Originally Posted by spirit wings

well said, IMO. 2,000 birds is alot! but there were alot of pigeons here at one time, the passenger pigeon, so maybe to look at it as these ferals can take the place of those(passenger pigeons) taken from existence years ago and adopt them as a native species and call it a day..... ain't gonna happen is it...oh well it's a thought.

I think we have seven or eight native "pigeon" species. I would be all for adding another one... but I don't think it works that way.

[warren11]

plamenh
best response IMO. Thanks bro Peace.

[lwerden]

The man/company in question here is in the PEST EXTERMINATION BUSINESS. He has tried to gain a larger piece of the extermination business here in Las Vegas by going around wearing a badge that looks like a sheriff's badge and advertises that he is trying to become a Public Utility Co. It was a great gimic on his part, but he has exterminated many, many more birds than he was able to house in that unsanitary so called sancutary. He is making a tremendous amount of money killing pigeons. I hate to think of the fate that the birds he has housed in a very unsanitary chain link cage, now in an undisclosed location have suffered.

[Fbirdie82]

Originally Posted by lwerden

The man/company in question here is in the PEST EXTERMINATION BUSINESS. He has tried to gain a larger piece of the extermination business here in Las Vegas by going around wearing a badge that looks like a sheriff's badge and advertises that he is trying to become a Public Utility Co. It was a great gimic on his part, but he has exterminated many, many more birds than he was able to house in that unsanitary so called sancutary. He is making a tremendous amount of money killing pigeons. I hate to think of the fate that the birds he has housed in a very unsanitary chain link cage, now in an undisclosed location have suffered.

Very interesting hearing an "insider's" take on all of this. Those pictures did not look unsanitary or even dirty by any means, but what you see in a picture often reflects the person behind the camera.

[mookeeman]

I'm no punk," he said. "I'm a fighter. The last thing you want to do is piss off a guy who understands pigeons."

well that's why he kills the one's he can not catch

there to smart for him to catch so instead of leaving them to keep doing what they have been doing for a while hey let's shoot them right? yes because that's the answer to everyone's problem with a bird that we all enjoy let's just kill it



there was a store called kitkat here in ingersoll that housed a pair of pigeons and there young would tae off when old enough and when they mated up they would go back well 2 years ago i cought most of them and i left one pair up there because they did not want to be cought at all (i found good homes for them and there quite tame now) so what is wrong with leaving the ones that are to smart?

[nicole]

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009...ss-doesnt-fly/