Bad pigeon column in NY Post

[raynjudy]

I sent this this morning. I see an auto-reply in my mailbox, saying he'll get back to me on Friday.

PIGEONS FOREVER!!!

--Ray

*****
Dear Mr. Kuntzman:

Pursuant to your article of 10/21/02, I'd like to remind you of a few indisputable facts:

The common or feral pigeon is the direct ancestor of the Eurasian Rock Dove, not indigenous to this country. It was by no accident that we brought them here. History records that pigeons are our oldest and dearest feathered friends.

Prior to our enlightened age, pigeons were considered an asset to humankind. They enriched our bodies, our fields, our culture, our religion, and our lives. Their service to us was exemplary in two world wars, and in battles too numerous to be remembered, where their astonishing abilities saved countless human lives. In one case, a WWII carrier pigeon, GI Joe, saved over a thousand allied lives in a single mission. Joe was decorated with
the Dickin Medal, the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross. In fact, some of your own ancestors may owe their existence to a homing pigeon. Your presence here today may be due, in part, to one of these irrepressible little beings. Man's best friend? Pigeons have answered that call
throughout history.

Science considers pigeons and doves to be of one family-columbidae. The pigeon in particular, has been most beloved. It has been reported that only in the last century has columba livia, the common pigeon, become the target of abuse, ridicule, and disregard. If this is a problem, we've
created it. Boy, that's becoming a tired old story, isn't it?

The white dove, actually a pigeon, has been an integral symbol in many religions. That symbol survives to this day as an icon of peace and hope. The beauty of the dove has inspired artists around the world over the
eons. You will find the likeness of the pigeon in ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman art. Shakespeare wrote fondly of the dove and Picasso featured them in paintings. He even named a daughter after them--Paloma, Spanish for pigeon. People have kept pigeons for 6000-years, and they were far from foolish for doing so.

In science, pigeons provided the confirmation for Darwin's groundbreaking work, "Origin Of Species", by providing models for natural selection and evolution. They were pivotal in the work of Harvard psychiatrist, B. F. Skinner. More recently, studies of pigeons led to breakthroughs in our modern dairy industry. And pigeons continue to provide surprising insights into studies involving learning, intelligence, navigation, flight dynamics and genetics. The University of Montana concludes that pound for pound, columba livia (the common pigeon), is one of the most "physically adept" beings in the animal kingdom.

With regard to the Passenger Pigeon, In the fall of 1815, Audubon himself calculated the numbers in a single flock of passenger pigeons as they passed over rural Kentucky. His estimate: 1,115,136,000 individuals. His observation required three days--the time it took the flock to cross the sky. In his journal, he wrote of one fateful encounter when the flock arrived to settle in for the night:

"Few pigeons were to be seen, but a great number of persons, with horses and wagons, guns and ammunition, had already established encampments on the borders. [Farmers] had driven upwards of three hundred hogs to be
fattened on the pigeons which were to be slaughtered. Suddenly there burst forth a general cry of 'Here they come!' The noise which they made, though yet distant, reminded me of a hard gale at sea. As the birds arrived and passed over me, I felt a current of air that surprised me. Thousands were soon knocked down by the pole-men. It was a scene of uproar and confusion. Even the reports of the guns were seldom heard. Towards the approach of day, the authors of all this devastation began their entry aongst the dead, the dieing, and the mangled. The pigeons were picked up and piled in heaps, until each had as many as he could possibly dispose of, when the hogs were let loose to feed on the remainder."

Does that sound like a "hunt" to you, sir? That was no hunt! It was a massacre! It was a sin against an animal nation. It was a sin against God and nature, recorded for all time; and I had hoped that we might learn
from it. But I'm sad to see that many of us have not. Sadly, as a citizen of my time I can attest that there are a large, perhaps growing number of people that would say, "so what?" Are you among them?

In commerce, the speed and homing abilities of the pigeon were recognized early. The establishment of the prestigious Reuters news agency was based, in part, on the unique abilities of the homing pigeon. The use of pigeons made personal fortunes from stock trades, for more than a few noble families, long before transmission through wire became practical.

The fancy show pigeons and fast racing pigeons of modern times all trace their roots to columba livia. They most certainly have had their desired traits skillfully guided by selective breeding. Pigeon fanciers have done an astonishing job of producing a multitude of pigeon breeds, beautiful, fast and bizarre. But apparent features aside, better than 99.9% of their DNA is identical to that of columba livia, the much maligned and misunderstood, feral pigeon.

How tragic to sever the ties we created. For you see, pigeons prefer our company. Isn't it obvious? Through ages of conditioning we have bred them to do so. Easily tamed and surprisingly smart, they instinctively sense the friendship that was there. They have come across space and time with us, and for them, the memory persists. That tradition accounts for their presence among us today. Once again, we forget so easily and occupy ourselves with the trivial crap of the day.

So many of us live only in the immediate sense, seeking instant gratification, in a paved world, sterile as a new Lexus.

Rats with wings? Through better than 99.9% of human history, people didn't think so. How small have some of us become to disparage the noble pigeon? What more these little beings must do to win our lasting respect, I cannot imagine.

Thank you for your attention.

Very truly yours,

Raymond P. Buchholz

*****
End

[fred2344]

Ray,
Brilliant letter!!

[Joel]

Wow!!
Nicely done Ray.

Joel

[bigbird]

RIGHT ON!!!

Thanks,
Carl

[Mary L]

Bravo Ray Bravo!!

[Wild Dove]

Wonderful letters Fred, Ely, John, Ray, Cindy! Thank you for bringing this to our attention, PigeonFinder.
Okay...here's my contribution:

Dear Mr. Kuntzman,

Thank you for bringing attention to the plight of the band-tailed pigeon, white-crowned pigeon, and plain pigeon in your recent article entitled, "Too Bad Pigeons Don't Poop Out".

Unfortunately, you chose to denigrate your good intentions by also offering up a slate of old wives' tales and cliches against the common "city" pigeon.

Mr. Kuntzman, I am confused. As a New Yorker, you must see around you every day how tenuous life can be...how fragile. If you find the sight of a pigeon pecking at a dirty french-fry "repulsive", how must you feel about the sight of the homeless...the hungry? It's all about survival and the will to live, Mr. Kuntzman, whether pigeon or fellow man. If you find the sight of that disgusting, I sincerely hope that you never have to find sustenance in the streets of New York.

And yes, city pigeons survive better than most in the streets of our cities...in amongst our filth, our diseases, our stench. They are one of the few species of birds that can, (look at the plight of the band-tailed pigeon, the white-crowned pigeon, and the plain pigeon for example). Should we malign this incredible ability to adapt to our way of life, or should we applaud it?

Mr. Kuntzman, I challenge you to set aside your preconceived notions, biases, and cliches for one day.
Cornell University of Ornithology has an informative web-site pertaining to city pigeons, including an on-going education/scientific study called "Project Pigeon Watch". The site is: http://birds.cornell.edu/ppw
Please browse through it.
There are also very dedicated people in the New York area who care for injured/orphaned pigeons.
Please contact them.
Yes, there are even people who keep pigeons as pets.
Please listen to them.

Who knows? Perhaps one day, you will write an article that truly does benefit one species of bird without being at the expense of another.

Dawn A Woodland

*Well, I can't imagine that is going to do anything, but at least I got it off my chest.
And I got the same auto-respond message, Ray.
Wild Dove*

[raynjudy]

Dawn said, in part, "Well, I can't imagine that is going to do anything, but at least I got it off my chest."

I don't know. We helped to make a difference in London England, 18-months ago, when we deluged Mayor Ken Livingstone's office with similar sentiments (they were rudely evicting the pigeons from Trafalgar Square!). To their credit, they reevaluated and amended their plan.

Then again, perhaps our British friends are a bit less crass, a bit more civilized, on the whole, than we are. Still, there were the Spice Girls...

Thanks, guys!

Well done, everybody!

Goodnight,

Ray

[bluebell]

Hi everyone,
Yeah, well, what can you say? Kuntzman's mentality enforces what we already knew. That some journalists arent human, they are VERMIN!!! And he calls himself an animal lover. That's a joke. This jerk who is in a position of power, has the ability to influence people's thinking and incite hatred towards our feathered friends. I will be sending an email to Kuntzman and commend everyone else who already has and who gives a damn. Let's hope he reads these responses and can understand something about compassion and human kindness. But then again that's probably wishful thinking.

[AZWhitefeather]

I also want to thank everyone for contributing, in their own way, to the cause.
Each letter is unique & well put. Thank you in advance, Bluebell.
Cindy

[Badragoon]

I have not yet E-mailed him, but so far I have enjoyed all of the statements you guys and gals have sent him. He has it coming. I especially enjoyed raynjudy's, long, but very good. I wonder where the estimated 1,115,136,000 pigeons flying for three days took place?

The so called animal lover Gersh Kuntzman is no animal lover if he can sit there saying such cruel and hateful things about our beloved friends and as you say "man's best friend". I agree with you all, he is out of his mind to call them "vermin" or "rats with wings" . If only he was in our shoes and knew the wonderful moments and company they bring.

They are actually sometimes considered to be smarter than the common man.They are not thoughtless mindless creatures that have no feelings. They think and feel just as we do, and should be treated with the same respect as you would any other human being. I do not think this Gersh fellow knows anything at all. I am now going to end this post, although I plenty more to say, because I do not want go any further. All these posts speak for themselves, Gersh is a mere fool to accuse the defenseless pigeon of such things. I leave it at that.

Thank you for reading my post
,Blake Daniels

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Da' Dragoon

[This message has been edited by Badragoon (edited October 24, 2002).]

[This message has been edited by Badragoon (edited October 24, 2002).]

[raynjudy]

"I wonder where the estimated 1,115,136,000 pigeons flying for three days took place?"

These were Passenger Pigeons passing over rural Kentucky. This was a single flock!

John James Audubon wrote much about the Passenger Pigeon. A lot of his prose on the subject is elegant, and shows a deep appreciation for the species. His work founded the Audubon Society.

I recommend that everybody read "The Silent Sky: The Incredible Extinction Of The Passenger Pigeon", by Allan W. Eckert.

Have a great day, everybody!

--Ray

[Badragoon]

Thank you for the response. I was just wondering.

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Da' Dragoon

[Peapicker]

This is my letter to Mr. Kuntzman:

Mr. Kuntzman,

Pigeons only congregate where there is a food source. Each person who throws fast food cartons out of the car window, or drops food in the street invites a pigeon into the city. The pigeon who pecks at the dirty french fry in the gutter can only do that because a human put it there.

Instead of vilifying the pigeons, who are innocent of any wrong doing, you could be using your energy and your influence to educate people to become better citizens of your city by not discarding food where the pigeons can find it. Only when the food supply dwindles will the pigeon population become more acceptable to you.

As for the "disgusting sight of a pigeon pecking at a dirty french fry in the gutter" - what do you think should be done about the homeless humans among you who have to dig for their food in garbage cans? Or have you never personally seen this?

You need to broaden your vision.

Marjorie Marshall

[fred2344]

I'm sitting here and reading everything in this thread. I think this may be one of our finest moments. This experience has brought us very close together.

[Badragoon]

Indead it has.

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Da' Dragoon