Okay. Now I am in a bad mood again

1547 Views 14 Replies 11 Participants Last post by Charis, Apr 20, 2009

conditionfreak

Discussion Starter · Apr 20, 2009

My sister-in-law just called me to ask about pigeons and diseases. I asked why right off, and she related that she works for the Coca Cola bottling company in Cincinnati, Ohio (which I already knew of course). She said that she "touched" a wild pigeon today and her co-workers couldn't believe that she touched a pigeon because, "doesn't she know that they carry all kinds of diseases". I assured her that if the pigeon looked healthy, she doesn't have anything to worry about. No more than if she shook hands with a co-worker.

She said that in the plant where she works, she found a pigeon that looked healthy, with one leg attached to a glue trap that the company puts around the warehouse, because of the pigeon problem in there.

She said that she was able to get the foot off of the glue trap okay, but that the bird lost all of its' tail feathers in the process of removing it from the trap. I assured her that it would grow new tail feathers back, assuming that it wasn't stuck to a trap again tomorrow. She said it flew off nicely, after she let it go.

She is upset over the glue traps being used and asked me to email her some info about pigeons and diseases, as she is going to make a stink about it. She says that there are more humane ways of eliminating pests than making them starve to death, in such a manner.

Now, I understand that everyone does not see life through my eyes (among other things as ya'll know, I do not eat meat). But for the life of me. If you have to kill a pest, why do it that way? Helpless fodder for rats, cats, minks, or whatever. At the very least, starved to death.

Can you imagine being stuck on a floor of glue, in the middle of the African Jungle, surrounded by lions, tigers and whatever? Dying slowly and each moment filled with terror of what you see coming towards you, and there is nothing you can do about it?

Sickens me.

I hope she doesn't get fired, and I also hope that she can convince them to deal with the problem some other way. I don't have any suggestions for them in that regard, other than cover up all of the ways pigeons get in there, in the first place. I am assuming that they have upper windows open, for the workers and that is how the pigeons get in. I didn't ask her about that, but if that is the case, use screened window for heavens sake.

I am just pizzed right now.

I am sure that this kind of thing goes on all of the time, throughout the world. But still................%[email protected]#&%(%*@

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Charis

· #2 · Apr 20, 2009

Well...it puts me in a bad mood too. If you remember I'm with ya on not eating meat. This kind of ignorance is so disheartening.

Have you thought of speaking personally to the managers of the plant...going there personally and doing a little PR? I know it means a road trip but it feels to me like this was put in your path for a reason...know what I mean?

RodSD

· #3 · Apr 20, 2009

People who doesn't know about pigeons consider them as rats full of diseases. They bought those misconceptions from ignorant people. I probably got sick more touching humans with cold than touching pigeons.

Keith C.

· #4 · Apr 20, 2009

I get several people a year that contact me about purchasing pigeons, usually for a gift for a child or spouse, that are terrified of catching some horrible disease from them.
I tell them that I have met a lot of pigeon fanciers in their 70's and 80's and not one of them has ever told me that they or anyone they know have caught any disease from pigeons.
Keith

george simon

· #5 · Apr 20, 2009

when I speak to people that think that pigeons carry disease. the first thing I ask is do they have a dog or cat. If the answer is yes, then I ask do you know where the dog or cat had their nose, 5 minutes before it lick their face. .GEORGE

james fillbrook

· #6 · Apr 20, 2009

mate i agree is that not lagle

maryjane

· #7 · Apr 20, 2009

Glue traps are just glorified torture devices. Makes me mad too. I hope you and your sister-in-law are able to help change their misconceptions. Maybe it would help to include some of the "facts you may not know about pigeons" listed in my signature? I tell people that wonder about diseases something I heard a long time ago when I first joined here; You're more likely to get a disease from your mailman. Good luck.

tuxedobaby

· #8 · Apr 20, 2009

these traps SHOULD BE BANNED NOW!!!!!!!!quite happy to send a complaint myself if you pm me with address,it is barbaric and should not be allowed

lwerden

· #9 · Apr 20, 2009

I have a rescue pidg that survived one of these glue traps. His injuries and the damage it caused this bird were horrendus. It took months for the bird to heal. I still have the bird who has fully recovered and is absolutely one georgeous pidg.

If you do research on these glue traps it is unbelieveable that they have not been banned. They harm/torture/starve to death any small animal that comes in contact with them including puppies/cats/any type of bird etc., etc., etc. I can not believe that none of the animal rights groups have taken up the cause to have them banned. They are absolutely barbaric.

ggoss1

· #10 · Apr 20, 2009

I suggest we put a petition together and submit it to Cocal Cola for that plant.

Charis

· #11 · Apr 20, 2009

We wouldn't want to jeopardize the job of Conditionfreaks's sister. The very best would be a one on one meeting with whom ever is responsible for removing 'pests' with some solutions that make sense and are humane. This needs to be approached gingerly, calmly...IMO.

conditionfreak

Discussion Starter · #12 · Apr 20, 2009 (Edited)

I am advising my sister-in-law to just cool it for now. She needs her job there plus one of my sons has a resume in with them, looking for employment.

I am going to take some initiative with this, and contact the company/plant myself, via email. I am going to send them several web site links and ask them to take some other type of measures to deal with this problem. The first being a measure of preventing the birds from entering the structure. I am sure that there are nests with babies in them, at this time of year and I do not know what to do about that at this moment. My first thought is to offer my services (free) to take the babies and try to take care of them.

Here are the links I am going to send them. If you have any suggestions of others, or any suggestions of what could be done with nests of babies that might be in the structure, please PM me or post them here. I will be getting this all together and obtaining more info from my relative, as to how the building is situated and as to how the pigeons may be entering. I will then do my email first. If I do not get a response from that. I will contact them by phone. If that doesn't work. I will come on to this site and ask for some additional "back up". I hate the thought of going to PETA with this. For one reason, I believe they go way overboard with all they do, and another reason being that the one time I did contact them (about some cock fighting in my neighborhood, that included participants that are local deputy sheriffs), they stated that they would not do anything with it unless I did some undercover work for them and agreed to testify. I wanted no part of any undercover work and did not want to testify. Not because I was afraid, but because of who is involved and my relationships with them.

Anyway, that is another story. Here are the links I have gathered thus far, to send to Coca Cola Cincy.

http://www.pigeonrealm.com/disease

(notice that one of the advisors in this article is from the Cincinnati Environment Advisory Council).

http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/CAMPAIGNS/wildlife/ALL/346

(notice #8)

http://www.deterapigeon.com/21-amazing-facts-about-pigeons.htm

Thanks all for your imput.

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conditionfreak

Discussion Starter · #13 · Apr 20, 2009

You know. This kind of stuff goes on in probably a hundred million locations worldwide. I can only try to "help" in one or two, sadly.

But I can not just ignore it. As someone earlier mentioned. It has come to my attention for a reason. I probably will not succeed, but it won't be for not trying. I will approach it calmly and gingerly. You get more flies with honey than you do with poop.

Peg 'n Peter

· #14 · Apr 20, 2009

I hear ya. I'm a 30-year vegetarian. Our company used to do two things that drove me nuts: (1) glue traps for mice and (2) cleaning the nests of the pigeons who live in our 3-tiered parkade.

Luckily, our site director is an animal lover and I wrote him a note, anonymously, from the pigeons last year! This is going to sound weird but here goes..... I wrote it with my left hand so that it looked badly written, imploring the grounds keeper to leave *our* homes alone when they clean the parkade. I mentioned that *we* had babies in there and were very concerned and that *we* love our children and please don't harm them. I then signed it from Pepe, Percival, Peter, Princeton, and a whole lot of other 'P' names (the pigeons). I then stamped little birdy feet all over it. Then I sent it to the director. Believe it or not, that worked. For the first time last year, they cleaned the parkade..... and left the pigeons alone! There's a handful of people at work who know I did this and think it's so cool.

I'm still working on the glue traps.

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Charis

· #15 · Apr 20, 2009

conditionfreak said:
You know. This kind of stuff goes on in probably a hundred million locations worldwide. I can only try to "help" in one or two, sadly.

But I can not just ignore it. As someone earlier mentioned. It has come to my attention for a reason. I probably will not succeed, but it won't be for not trying. I will approach it calmly and gingerly. You get more flies with honey than you do with poop.

Your approach is all wrong...imagine that you WILL succeed.

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