GLUE Traps

[phyll]

After Mass this evening, a lady at church informed me about GLUE traps being used to catch pigeons at a train station. The location is Queens, NY.
I am so upset. Tomorrow I am going there to see what the hell is going on.
The lady told me that the pigeons get stuck & remain there until they die.

I am hoping to God that I find NO pigeons stuck when I get there. If there are, how would I be able to safely remove them?
Of course, if it is possible to remove the trap, I will bring them home on the trap & then work on removing them here.
Is there a product that would dissolve the glue, but not burn the pigeon?
Thanks for your help.

Phyll

[AZWhitefeather]

Hello Phyll,
What an outrage!!
For the sake of all your pijjie friends I hope this lady is incorrect.

The only thing I can think of off hand would be to take a gallon jug of warm water with you. Perhaps it would soften the glue enough to enable the pigeons to free themselves.


I'm so sorry to hear of such a sad story. Your pijjie friends will be in my prayers.

Please keep us posted.

Cindy

[maryco]

Hello,

That's so sad to hear about and how horrible people can be!!!

This is just suggestion, maybe cornstarch will help stick to the glue and remove it, just a thought..

Sorry to hear about this sad situation and please let us know how it goes..

[TerriB]

Take along some vegetable oil so you can coat the sticky stuff to prevent additional sticking. I have used Avon Skin-So-Soft bath oil to dissolve all kinds of sticky glues, although you may have to let it soak for 15 or 20 minutes to work loose. Be careful around their heads so they don't inhale any.

Bathe afterwards with mild soap to remove the oil. You will probably need to be re-established water-proofing on their feathers. What a mess for you and the poor birds! Thank you for caring for these poor creatures!

[phyll]

Thanks to all of you for your ideas.

I was trying to think of something to "disable" any traps. Aside from the warm water, I will have cornstarch & oil with me also.
Thanks for the "Skin-So-Soft" information but I do not have any here.
My neighbor sells Avon but she is away right now.

Cindy,
It would be great if the woman was incorrect.
I am hoping with all my heart that those traps are not there. Although, the woman sounded as if she had witnessed it. She said that she felt sorry for the pigeons because they are stuck there & starve to death. I am trying to tell myself that enough people would have complained by now (even if only because they were disturbed at such a terrible sight) so as to have the traps removed.

What kind of a sick mind (trying to hold back here) would even come up with such an idea? It's scary!

Phyll

[John_D]

Phyll -

There are substances which are spread on railings and ledges which are supposed to be kind of rubbery and make it feel unstable to a bird landing on it, therefore (they hope) deterring pigeon-sized and up birds from ltrying to land.

These substances can, however, become sticky and adhere to feet and feathers, and could potentially trap the bird. More likely, tho, that it would damage the feathers and maybe even prevent the bird flying properly. May have toxic effects, too.

Just wondering if this is what your informant is talking about?

If any corporation is using something which is deliberately aimed at sticking pigeons like a flypaper traps a fly, then it surely MUST be illegal! If it is so, the SPCA - or the police(?) - could be informed and action demanded. This would have to be classed as animal cruelty.

John

[Izzy]

If the glue in these traps are anything like glue in mouse traps, vegetable oil is definitely the way to go!

Off the subject, but, I had a mouse problem last winter and really hate those 'snap' traps, so I purchased a glue trap. OMG, I had NO idea how horrid those things were! I found a mouse stuck in there and I was so upset that I looked up ways to try to 'unstick' him. Vegetable oil was recommended and after 15 minutes of pouring that one him, he was able to get out of the glue.

To think I got so upset watching a mouse in that glue trap, I can't even imagine seeing a pigeon in there!

Please keep us updated on this situation and if you need us to write letters/emails to local animal/wildlife organizations or even makek phone calls, sign me up!

Izzy

[Yong]

Here are some ideas...

http://www.buginfo.com/wideworld/gluetraps2.cfm

One compnay that sells glue board traps says this...For humane release put on gloves, apply vegetable oil, and release with pencil.

They might actually be trying to capture rats and got the pijs instead, sad in either case. Sorry, Yong

[cyro51]

Phyll, are you a member of the New York action group started by Al called Pigeon People?

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PijnPeople/

I have posted and asked the members to have a look but if you are not already a member this is a group that can help you and be helped by you.

Cynthia

[re lee]

I have heard of a sticky paste put down to deture pigeons from landing and roosting different places. But not glue traps. But this may be so. The problem isThat Many places of Have to try to control the pigeon population sometimes. And the dumb thing is In some states you have to get a trapping permit to trap them. It would be easy to trap and move or trap and give to people Or such to reduce populations.

[vetmanagny]

Sometimes, the best thing to do is to clip the feathers and allow them to grow back. Bathing them with corn oil is good but then the bird must be bathed in Dawn dishwashing liquid afterward. This process removes all of the feathers waterproofing and they would need to be sheltered for months afterwards anyway.

As a licensed rehabber, I think its best to pluck the feathers and await new growth. It is also less stressful on the pig.

If I can help. let me know.

Karen

[pigeon george]

I work at Lagaurdia Airport and sometimes take the train havent for a while what train station is this so i could swing by for a second set of eyes to watch for this

[phyll]

My husband & I checked on the "glue trap" situation at the train station.
We checked around visually & didn't see any traps, thank God. The clerk even let my husband enter for free when I told her we wanted to check on the pigeons. Everything was cool at THAT location. I asked the clerk about glue traps & believed her when she said she didn't know anything about it.
Next, we went about seven blocks to the busiest area & began climbing the stairs to the train. I figured that if any station in the area was using these horrid traps, this would be the likliest. Under the EL there are wall-to-wall stores, with apartments above them.
Climbing the stairs, I saw one dead pigeon in front of an apartment window.
He was on the building, I didn't see anything under him. Because this station was so busy, I didn't speak to the clerk.
When I arrived at the platform, I saw a few pigeons milling around. All seemed well with them.
While checking an area that was "off-bounds," a worker spotted me. I was checking it fom afar, because I could not enter the area due to iron barricades. When I asked the guy about glue traps, he said,
"NO! NO! NO! No glue traps here." I KNEW he definitely knew what they were! When I told him that someone told me about the traps, he told me that they do not use them there because they are too messy.
My feeling is that these traps had been used at this station.

The good news is that there are NO traps there now.
The bad news is that while denying the use of the traps, the guy goes & tells me that another guy (pointing down the block) buys RAT POISON & feeds it to the pigeons.
He told me this matter-of-factly, like it was an acceptable thing to do!
I did not go into a rage, which is very easy for me to do ~ especially when it comes to anyone harming any creature. I walked away, joined my husband & we left the station.

Since pigeons are not protected under the law, is it legal to POISON them?
Even if it IS legal, I have to try to put an end to this.
Now I intend to go back to the stations & the stores with inquiries about poisoning the pigeons. If I cover enough stores along the way, I'm hoping that whoever is responsible the poisioning, will hear about it & stop.

Sorry I to have to ask again, but I sure would appreciate any suggestions.

Pigeon George ~ it's the EL that runs along Liberty Avenue in Richmond Hill, particularly the Lefferts Blvd. station. You need not go out of your way. Even though we live in Nassau, we continue to attend Mass in Queens. Checking for traps is going to be part of my routine now.

Karen ~ thank you so much, I really appreciate it.

Thanks for sending the site, Yong.

Cynthia, I remember checking the Pijn People site but had some trouble. Going to check to see if I registered. Thanks for reminding me about it.

Izzy ~ please use "Have-A-Heart" traps. Just be sure to release the mouse a good distance from your place.
Thanks for the offer of sending letters.

Learning about the "oil" solution was good. Now I will be able to share that information with others.
You guys are definitely the best!
I thank every one of you for trying to help with this situation. God bless all of you!

Phyll

[John_D]

Phyll,

I know that the poison Avitrol was banned for use against so-called 'pest' birds in NYC a few years back.

I cannot imagine that feeding them rat poison as an alternative would be considered acceptable to the authorities!

John

[WhiteWingsCa]

ugh -- too messy alright ---- and I imagine, as much as the 'general public' dislikes pigeons -- the sight of some poor bird struggling to free itself from a glue trap would have caused quite an uproar! I can't believe how stupid some people can be.

As to feeding rat poison to pigeons.... I don't know about legality (it should be illegal!) -- but if these idiots thought about it --- if a poisoned pigeon is eaten by a hawk or falcon --- the preditor bird would be poisoned too -- and THAT I know is illegal ! ! !

If it were me... I'd report this person to the local SPCA, pronto! And maybe contact the local papers with something like ... "if this is true, how many 'protected' falcons or hawks are going to die as well?"