London Home for Distressed Gentlepigeons

[kittypaws]

Hello Everybody,

You may remember I had the thread called "Bad Feet Can't Catch Him" which I did catch him and took him to a wildlife Hospital in Surrey, UK. He has since recovered and been released. I now have another pigeon in my sights - one with a very good foot and one with a very poorly looking foot, so I warned Ted, the owner of the London Wildcare hospital that I was hoping to catch another to which he replied that he had a single room, non smoking, full board with spa treatments ready for him at the "London Home of Distressed Gentlepigeons". How very Victorian...

Well I visited that very hopspital today as they had an open day and they must have had about 20 sick and injured pigeons inside, 7 in the aviary outside ( one of which only had one eye as did one poor fox) and a couple of babies who through whatever circumstances were no longer safely in their nest.

This truly is a wonderful place and if anyone in the London/Surrey/Middlesex/Kent area finds an injured, sick or young pigeon, please take it there. They will not put a bird too sleep unless it is the last resort. Their details can be found at www.londonwildcare.org Of course they are a charity so a donation is always appreciated when dropping off casualties. They had to close down early this year through lack of funding, but are now back in business due to some publicity and fundraising.

Regards

Tania

[Pigeonpal2002]

Originally Posted by kittypaws

I was hoping to catch another to which he replied that he had a single room, non smoking, full board with spa treatments ready for him at the "London Home of Distressed Gentlepigeons". How very Victorian...

Hi Tania,

LOL!!!! That's funny and yes, very Victorian sounding That's really good though that you've found and recommend this place to take injured and sick pigeons. It's hard to find a place that is so accommodating to pigeons anywhere so this is good information for any UKers

[pdpbison]

Totally charming...!

Phil
Las Vegas

[LondonPigeon]

i'm glad a place like this exists

because Iw as wandering if london if places like this existed where people could take poorly pigeons too.

[kittypaws]

Hi London Pigeon,

There aren't many places in London that take and rehabilitate sick pigeons, but there is another one in Leatherhead, Surrey called Wildlife Aid www.wildlifeaid.com and another called Pigeon Recovery which is in Sutton, Surrey ( 8 Vermont Road, Sutton, Surrey SM1 3EQ).

With regards to the RSPCA, they do take pigeons but.... often they euthanase if the injuries are bad, they have broken bones or appear quite ill. Generally you can take pigeons to them that have superficial injuries and things that I guess only need a couple of days care/rest. I have only ever taken pigeons to the RSPCA if they are extremely badly hurt ( two I can recall are one that was at the side of the road,lying flat out, wings outstretched with dreadful injuries underneath and another, a wood pigeon that had been hit by a car and both of its eyes were literally hanging out - I know its awful), but in these such bad cases the RSPCA at Putney is much nearer to me so it is quick and easy to get them there for a painless end to their suffering.

Saying that though, I would always in the first instance wherever possible take any of my pigeons to the two wildlife hospitals, London Wildcare (aka London Home for Distressed Gentlepigeons) or the hopsital down in Leatherhead.

Tania

[Feefo]

Thank you for the information Tania, I am trying to compile a list of organisations in the UK that will help pigeons and I will add your contacts to the list.

I am sorry to have to say this but I really would not trust the RSPCA with pigeons at all now, although I used to hand pigeons over to them for rehabilitation on a regular basis.

I think that they changed their policy about dealing with animals that are classified as "vermin" or "pests". Needless to say I would like to be proved wrong!

Cynthia

[Trees Gray]

Hi Tania,

Just want to say thank you for sharing this wonderful home for pigeons.

I wish every little corner of the world had a place like that.

[kittypaws]

Yes,

I'm really glad I have found this place. The RSPCA recommended it after I found a juvenile pigeon and I asked them straight out if they would euthanse to which they replied "probably because we don't have the facilities to care for young birds" So I at least I have the RSPCA to thank for this great recommendation. I believe they take injured foxes and that to them.

After the panic in May when funding dried up, the Wildlife hospital have now seemed to sort themselves out financially for the time being ( Thank goodness!!) and are in fact constructing some more outside pens mainly for birds ( including our beloved pigeons and doves), crows, magpies and they get a lot of squirrels. It's funny but if I list what they currently have in the hospital, there are foxes, squirrels, pigeons, crows, starlings, magpies, mice, Candian Geese - these are all classed in the UK as "pests" or "vermin". The only other animals currently there are some doves, a song thrush, and quite a few water birds, ducks and swans etc.

Ted doesn't see them as pests or vermin and nor do all the other animal loving folk that support this hospital. They are just people who, if they see a creature in need, want somewhere safe to take them to, knowing that they, whatever creed of creature they are, they will be given all the chance to recover where possible or if required, a dignified and painless end to their suffering.

Cynthia, I too, would not recommend taking pigeons to the RSPCA, unless there is absolutely no chance of recovery ( and I don't mean remaining disabled) I mean - will undoubtedly die and at least they can administer a painless ending. The hospital in Putney is near to where I live and I don't drive but it would be a last resort. I once found a pigeon hunkered down in the middle of a shopping centre. I picked him up no problem and gently put him down on a grassy area where he kept tipping forward. Because he seemd in good condition and was bright in the eyes, I decided to take him to London Wildcare ( a train journey of about an hour and a half) instead of the 20 minute bus drive away to the RSPCA. However about 40 mins into my journey, this poor pigeon seemed to struggle in my hands and then just died. I couldn't believe it and it was then that I thought if I had taken him to the RSPCA we would have been there by now but I guess it was going to die anyway. So yes if there's hope, I would go and see Ted at the London Home of Distressed Gentlepigeons ( gentle - just sums up doves and pigeons doesn't it? So very fitting)

Tania

[Garye]

I really truly wish we had something like that here but pigeons are viewed as nuisance birds here. There seem to be only a few of us in town who look out for them by giving them food in the winter when it's really bad out. But other than that, not too many people here care about them.

It would be nice for pigeons here to go to if they are sick and just need some loving care and rest to get better.

[mr squeaks]

From other threads and now this one, Ted sounds like the most wonderful person and such a sense of humor! LOVE THE PLACE NAME!!

Next time you see him, tell him he is making quite an impression with pijjie people "across the pond!"

[kittypaws]

Hi Garye - yes I am think I am very lucky to have found this place - absolutely no creature however small or whatever status is turned away.

Mr Squeaks - Ted is a fantastic person, who is very witty and very compassionate and gave up a lucrative career in law when he found an injured swift and could find nowhere to take it apart from vets which advised euthansia. Ted then realised that there was a need for a wildlife rehabilitation in the Surrey/South London area and started off using his bedroom, garage and shed much to his mothers amusement to keep his injured wildlife in.

The local council then had a disused building and land which they gave to him free because they could see what a good job he was doing in assisting the wildlife and I guess it grew from there. He has invested over £ 50,000 of his own money into it too... what a guy.

When I went to the open day the other day, he asked me if I had anything in my bag with feathers on it - because I have been promising to bring him in this other pigeon with a bad foot, when I can get my hands on him...

Yes - I consider myself very, very lucky and I have told he is getting well known on Pigeons.com!!

Tania

[mr squeaks]

for the information about Ted. He does, indeed, sound like one SPECIAL person! Wish the world had more like him!

Does he have people to help him with the sick and injured? Does he have people to help with fundraisers? How did he find out how to treat and with what medications? Of course, Pigeons.com can sure help with that type of information!

I guess I'm just curious because anyone with the sense of humor and compassion that he has, makes my day! Has he ever been written up in any of your local papers? If not, he should be!

Mmmmm, has he ever considered writing a book about his experiences like "All Creatures Great and Small," by James Herriot? I know he would get a great reception from the pigeons.com members!!

[kittypaws]

Mr Squeaks,

I answer as follows:-

Thanks for the information about Ted. He does, indeed, sound like one SPECIAL person! Wish the world had more like him!

Does he have people to help him with the sick and injured? Does he have people to help with fundraisers? How did he find out how to treat and with what medications? Of course, Pigeons.com can sure help with that type of information!

Yes he does have helpers - he has two full time nurses and the rest are volunteers. Re the type of medical treatment he uses I did post quite an extensive medical description thingy on my other thread "Bad Feet Can't Catch Him" but I can always paste into this thread if you are curious.

I guess I'm just curious because anyone with the sense of humor and compassion that he has, makes my day! Has he ever been written up in any of your local papers? If not, he should be!

He has a fantastic sense of humour - he really does and with that humour is an underlying compassion for all sentient creatures. He's great to e-mail because he sends such chatty correspondence back.


Mmmmm, has he ever considered writing a book about his experiences like "All Creatures Great and Small," by James Herriot? I know he would get a great reception from the pigeons.com members!![/i]


I'll ask him to wite a book I think....

Regards

Tania

[kittypaws]

As a member of London Wildcare, I went to a members day yesterday which means that you can mooch around and check out the patients and there isn't many people there. I checked on Cecile's Romeo who I am afraid to say was a very bad boy and jumped on top of a lady pigeon!! bad leg or not. I asked Ted if they have eggs but he says they don't. I think most of them are released before they can start making babies....

The outside aviary where Romeo is situated had about 20 others some looking a little dishelleved from the rain although they do have sheltered bits to get in!!

Inside the hospital there were quite a few babies,juveiles and one poor pidge with a bad eye all hunched up. Some of the juveniles stick their heads out of the cages and want to be petted and they all have a surrogate "stuffed toy" mother in with them.

I noticed on the wall a recipe for "Squeaker" cakes but didn't write it down - I will next time and post it on here.

All the pigeons are looked after very well and Ted even has a nest in his eaves. Plus he gets a lots of the locals in for free nosh because there is a pond with the disabled geese, swans and ducks and their food is very attractive to the local ferals.

One Open day, Ted had a small deer in an enclosed area, but no roof, with a couple of what I would describe as small hen houses although he has hedgehogs in there. Between the houses was a pigeon looking decidely dejected. There was a great crowd of people there and I was worried about the pigeon, but Ted was in this arena area with the deer and one of the nurses so I thought well they must think he's OK. Next minute, this nurse spies the pidgie, scoops him up and Ted says into the microhphone, " We appear to have a sick pigeon folks, I'll just go check him out and then I'll be back".

Didn't find out was wrong with the pidgie all I know was that he was in the right pair of hands.

Anyway my post here was just to say that my visit to the hopsital yesterday was lovely and I hope to become a volunteer in the next few months so I may one day become an expert!!! Unlikely but I know a lot more about pigeons since I came to this site!! And I may have some knowledge to spread for future requests for help.

Tania x

[mr squeaks]

THAT IS JUST SOOOO GREAT, Tania! I wish you all the best and know you will do QUITE WELL!

We also expect to hear updates on your adventures!

A hearty hello to TED from "over here!"