Comments On Feral Pigeons

[raynjudy]

Hi, all!

Here are excerpts from comments I made regarding feral pigeons and one reply from the UK...

"...When [The New] Pigeons.com goes on line, there will be considerable space given to feral pigeons. Although the site will be
largely driven by visuals, there is some text on behalf of feral pigeons
everywhere."

"What really hacks me off are the breeding/racing enthusiasts that angrily
disparage the feral pigeon. They should know better..."

"I say, 'Better dead than bred!' I am kidding, of course. See how ridiculous
that sounds? The logic is inescapable--the reverse must be equally ridiculous."

"The gene template for ferals, racing and fancy breeds are interwoven. If one can't admire them all, there's no point in disparaging either of them--they have equally as much 'say' in their circumstances and existence."

"Pigeons Forever!!!

--Ray"

One Reply:

"Totally agree! Tho' I would not wish to race pigeons, I get one of the racing
periodicals - they often contain good information. Some of the contributors have
just that kind of attitude and side with moves to eliminate feral pigeons from
various city centres. Their concern seems only to be that 'their' pigeons might be tarred with the same brush as what some of them refer to as flying rats. They simply help perpetuate the idea that if it is a street pigeon, then it must have every obnoxious disease going! Fact is, of course, that racing pigeons too are potentially victims, and carriers of diseases amongst themselves and ferals they may come into contact with. The degree of discussion of 'young bird sickness', PMV, Canker, etc.and the regimes many fanciers operate to counteract disease is evidence of that, I suggest."

"Good on you, Ray! The more of us who put anything up on the web which counters
the 'urban myths' about feral pigeons, the better. I have correspondents in the UK and one in the USA through responses to my own pigeon pages - caring folk like all you on the list who will put themselves out to rescue and 'adopt' sick, injured or abandoned pigeons."

"One time, I got an E-Mail from a producer on some outfit called Network of the
World - 'Internet TV' she called it - who wanted to interview me about my love
of pigeons. Whether her program on urban wildlife ever gets a showing I don't
know, but at least I did get a chance to speak some truth in favor of pigeons at the time the Mayor of London was banning them from Trafalgar Square. But she said how difficult she'd found it to track down someone who actively cared about pigeons."

"At the weekend I was staying over in the town where I'm on a contract, on 24 hr
callout rota. I got the time to take my bag of racing mix and peanuts (always in back of the car!) to a green stretch frequented by ferals and, boy, did they dive in with enthusiasm! Anyhow, a total stranger came up to me and she told me how wonderful it was to see someone else who liked the pigeons. We spent a pleasant half hour talking pigeon. It heartened me to meet yet another who takes in needy pigeons and cares for them, and has a vet on tap who treats them
instead of putting them down."

"But as one of my correspondents says, it's not 'preaching to the converted' that
counts - it's educating the rest! She reckons on what she terms a continual,
gentle drip-drip of truthful information about pigeons anywhere she feels it may
do some good - local newspapers, city councils, etc."

"As you say, Ray - pigeons forever!

Regards

Jay"