More Details on Park Slope Pigeon Killings
We have seen ASPCA Humane Enforcement vehicles in Park Slope near the site of the alleged pigeon mass murders twice this week. There are no reports of any dead pigeons being found this week. In the meantime, we found this description on the New York City Bird Club website:Last week in my passings there was birdseed placed on the curb of bus stop @ 8th Avenue & 6th Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn. A few days later, by that corner near USPS relay (green) box, there was a large birdseed bag filled with dead pigeons. The next day I see a zerox copy of ASPCA notice taped to the relay box regarding pigeon killing...Beware of any food (pizza, rolls, bread) or birdseed left in the middle of a street or by curb area. I'm totally outraged of this human behavior. So much for the enviromentalist & brownstone owners of Park Slope. The person or people that did this, will have to answer to the commander in chief. Who's gonna take his License To Kill?Also, we received an email that a "Vigil for Pigeons" is being planned in Manhattan, but this has to do with the proposed citywide pigeon feeding ban.
Labels: Animals, Park Slope
posted by rsguskind at 7:40 AM
5 Comments:
O brother. Here we go round the masacred pijjies....one more round...
Sad to say, your post from the NY Bird club was grossly confused. Not to offend, and this is actually incredible, even to me -- the "pigeon advocate" but apparently the woman was walking down 8th avenue on one of the mornings when I had (again) cleared the street of our little dead friends and -- for lack of a better container -- put them in my empty bird seed bag.
The woman assumed that the person who put the little dead ones in the bag was the serial killer.
In addition, I was the one who put up the flyers, and strangely, she presumed that the person who put the flyers up was the killer. I don't know why. But there you have it.
Meanwhile, the ASPCA was adamant that I give them the dead little ones -- when, in fact, I was so upset that I put them in the bag (to avoid the children having to witness as there are many happy school within that three block radius) but then decided I couldn't take the dead birds to work.
Instead, I turned around, saw the laughing man (the fellow, again, who out of fear of law suit, am not mentioning his name, but I know his name and wh ere he lives) -- he was laughing.
Are you sure he killed those birds? -- Everyone, including reporters from the Brooklyn Papers and the Courier all want to know. Pretty darn sure. He had been threatening. He had also threatened me personally and yes, there is a public complaint filed against him (by me) with 78th precinct. He attacked me one morning on my way to work. He and I are very close.
But, alas, I do not have the sac o' dead birds. Instead, apparently, this woman from the Bird Club found them and sadly we never took them for poison analysis.
According to the ASPCA, we need that in order to further their efforts. So -- h ear this -- if I ever, and I hope I don't -- see another pile of dead little babies (pigeons) on my block, I will, I promise you, I promise the ASPCA, the DOH and the DEC, I will take all the dead birdies home and (as they instruct) put them in my refrigerator so they can be picked up for analysis.
The upshot, of course, is that on the heels of this (because God is not finished wearing me down) Felder comes up with this bogus ban on pigeon feeding (proposal). So now I've been on the phone, email, snail mail, writing all players and involving the DEC, Pigeon People, NYPRC (New York City Pigeon Rescue Central -- nyprc.org) and all others concerned -- to defeat the proposal.
The bodies aren't even cold.
Let's talk minority rights. Pigeon haters abound. That (from this blog, if by nothing else) is achingly clear. Pigeon haters - you're with us! I hear you! I am loony to care, even though, in the top ten of "What would Jesus Do" -- I believe coming to the aid of the down trodden, the meak and the lepers of his society was right up there with the magic of fishies from loaves of bread -- if you get the general drift.
Okay -- but there are many of us who love them. One out of 5 New Yorkers is living at poverty level. That means we (me included) don't have the $$ to go on nature safaris when we want a bit of nature. All we have is "going to the park to feed the birds." And/or whatever integration of nature and city scape we can manage.
I don't advocate the city running amok with birds and wildlife. I am not an idiot. I am, however, interested in the city reflecting not only the opinions of the pigeon haters, but also the pigeon lovers. The minority. WE do have rights.
The city banned having pigeons on roof tops which in many instances is the perfect solution for both the haters and the lovers. Pigeons love to be up high, they are originally from Europe, they are "columbus livia" which means rock doves. They homed by the ocean side. That is why they don't make their nests in trees. They don't have the DNA. They don't have that instinct. If I could teach them to do it myself, god knows I would try.
Meanwhile, living with urban wildlife is not, by any account, a new idea. The Portland Audubon Society has a very popular by that very name. It is the intelligent urban planning and integration of nature with development. It is not an impossible dream, it simply means that people would have to make plans, would hve to work with strategies and -- voila -- something beautiful could come of all this carnage.
One (practical) note of caution:
We already have laws in place which prohibit littering. If people fear $1,000 fines, they will most likely begin to leave large amounts of bird food out overnight so they will not be fined. This, if anything, will greatly increase the risk of boosting rodent populations everywhere. As it stands, bird feeders offer local flocks bird seed and/or soft bits of bread and wait until the birds have cleaned the street. Any thing left over, they pick up.
And please, for the last time (hopefully) Human beings do not catch diseases from pigeons. The DOH has not reported ONE case of death or illness pigeon-to-human disease. That is because pigeons have actually been a pet and/or in the domestic sphere for longer than "man's best friend" (There are etchings of pigeons as pets going back to 6BC) so we are immune. There are more bacteria in the droppings and feces left behind by our family fido than pigeons. If you need real facts on pigeons please go to savethepigeons.org thank you!!!
No, no, no. The sac'o'dead birds were the ones that the nice gentleman on 8th avenue poisoned. I did not have the heart to tote them to work. They were, ironically, discovered by a bird lover. The gentleman took the sac o dead birds and put them at the bus stop apparently to ward off further bird kindnesses. Unfortunately this person was confused. I contacted the NY Bird Club and straightened them out.
The Brooklyn Courier and Brooklyn Papers are both covering the story and should be out with something today or tomorrow...
And so the pigeon turns....
The vigil is not concerning the feedings, but is for the millions of pigeons baited and netted and illegally crossed into the state of PA for pigeon shoots.
NY Bird Club
www.manhattanbirdclub.com
Just to clarify. The NY Bird lover found the dead birds, he did not place them at the bus stop. He found them there. He then surmised that the person who killed them put up the flyers. I don't know why. It's all too painfully surreal.
I was notified that the NY Post is covering the pigeon feeding ban with some excellent wildlife references and facts. I will believe it when I see it...
Just to clarify:
Please leave the wild animals alone. Pigeons don't need to be fed just as racoons don't need to be fed.
Find a hobby that doesn't involve creating an overpopulation of NYC's pigeons.
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