by Ryan Ponto | May 8, 2017 | Bird Netting
A photo was tweeted by Michelle Davey, #Vancouver Police Superintendent, last week. It depicted a heap of used hypodermic syringes and three pigeon eggs, nestled in a filthy sink. Davey captioned the image to say this was a symbol of the opioid crisis. While she added the hashtag #notstaged, many people doubt the nest is, in fact, the real deal.
Vancouver Police Sergeant Randy Fincham told CKNW the image had been snapped by a homeless outreach coordinator who used to work for the department. Fincham said the person found the “pigeon’s nest” in a room in an empty single-occupant housing unit. Fincham said the reason for Davey sharing the image was to raise awareness about the problem of drug use in Vancouver.
He also said it was shared to start people talking about the work of first responders in the city and the urgent need for treatment options for substance abusers.
The image is genuine according to Vancouver Police
Fincham told the Huffington Post in an email that the photo is genuine. He added there were pigeons inside the room when police officers arrived in the vacant area and the birds reportedly flew out the window when disturbed.
Wild Bird Fund says the nest is unlikely
The Huffington Post spoke to the director of the Wild Bird Fund, Rita McMahon, who said it could be real, but she doesn’t think it is.
McMahon noted that for one thing, pigeons normally only lay two eggs, whereas the photo depicts three. She also said pigeons do collect unusual objects when creating their nests but she would expect to see other items in there, not just the hypodermic syringes. While the sink is filthy, McMahon said there didn’t appear to be any pigeon droppings in the image, which is unusual.
National Audubon Society believe the nest might be real
However, spokesman for the National Audubon Society thought it might be genuine. The spokesman said they couldn’t be 100 percent sure, but they do resemble pigeon eggs and according to the spokesman, pigeons will pick pretty much anywhere to make their nests. Saying they often use a pile of sticks to make their nest, the spokesperson said it is possible the female pigeon used a bunch of hypodermic syringes instead and that the abandoned sink was the ideal place to make a nest. Reportedly the Audubon Society is investigating to find out if the photo is the real deal, or just a hoax to promote the cause. #opioid crisis #WeirdWorldNews
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | May 8, 2017 | Bird Netting
RSPCA called to rescue a PINK pigeon from a car wash in Lancashire.
Staff at a car wash in Lower Hollin Bank Street, in Blackburn, contacted the animal welfare charity on Wednesday morning (10 May) after spotting the unusual coloured bird.
RSPCA inspector Nina Small, who went to collect the pigeon, said:
“I’ve never seen anything like it in 15 years of this job.
“He was covered in a pink, greasy paint-like substance from head to tail with only his eyes clear. And he was in a car wash of all places – perhaps he was trying to clean himself off!?
“After a wash, his feathers were still stained pink (pictured below). The amount of paint coming off his body was astonishing.
“We can’t be sure whether the bird had been deliberately covered in paint or whether he’d fallen in something.
“If someone has intentionally painted the pigeon’s feathers then I’d be very concerned for other birds and animals in the area. This is a cruel and unnecessary thing to do to an animal and could cause health problems, impair his ability to fly and make him more vulnerable to predators.”
Dye and paints can be toxic to birds and animals, and they would be likely to try to clean any such substance from their coat or feathers which could result in them swallowing it.
“Luckily this pigeon wasn’t injured and we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to clean all of the paint off of his feathers and get him back to good condition so he can be released back into the wild where he belongs. I just hope his feathers haven’t been permanently damaged and that his flight won’t be affected, which could mean he will need to stay in care much longer before being released”.
by Ryan Ponto | May 7, 2017 | Bird Netting
Residents of a Devon town have criticised a supermarket and pest control company after a pair of pigeons died after allegedly being trapped in nets for more than a week.
Ilfracombe resident Lynda Godliman said she was ‘absolutely furious’ about the way in which the animals died at the town’s branch of Tesco on the Old Barnstaple Road.
Lynda shared this picture of the dead pigeons to local Facebook group Gossip Around Ilfracombe, saying: “Two pigeons trapped behind the netting for over a week at Tesco, apparently Rentokil was supposed to be releasing them, bit late now their dead, obviously died because of lack of food and water, shocking.”
Her anger was shared by many other members of the group, who left comments such as:
“Horrible way to die, poor pigeons.”
“No excuse for causing suffering – they might be rats with wings and vermin, but any kind of pest control has to be humane.”
“I’m disgusted with the whole scenario and will be talking to the manager.”
Diana Lewis, founder of the North Devon Animal Ambulance charity, said told DevonLive she had received several complaints about the matter.
She said: “I have spoken to Tesco today and they have assured me that it won’t happen again. I believe the contractor they employ have to come from far away to carry out this work.
“I have told Tesco that if they discover birds that have become trapped, I will always come rapidly and get it sorted.”
Diana said there is netting all over buildings and businesses in North Devon which is designed to birds like seagulls and pigeons nesting.
She said: “Almost all of it has been installed by professionals and is generally effective. It is one of the least offensive methods of control.
“However sometimes it breaks and birds can get in but not out, which often leads to a very slow and miserable death. When it is installed by amateurs it can be very cruel and unpleasant for the birds.”
Diana added: “In fairness to Tesco, I usually have a very quick response from them and all their local stores frequently contact me about lost dogs and cats or injured birds. It is unusual for them not to respond fast on animal welfare issues.”
A Tesco spokesman said: “We have installed netting beneath the store canopy at our Ilfracombe Superstore in the interests of customer health and safety.
“Unfortunately two pigeons became trapped in the netting and we called our contractor to release the birds. We apologise for any distress to customers.”
DevonLive contacted the pest control company but no one was available for comment.
by Ryan Ponto | May 7, 2017 | Bird Netting
RSPCA called to rescue a PINK pigeon from a car wash in Lancashire.
Staff at a car wash in Lower Hollin Bank Street, in Blackburn, contacted the animal welfare charity on Wednesday morning (10 May) after spotting the unusual coloured bird.
RSPCA inspector Nina Small, who went to collect the pigeon, said:
“I’ve never seen anything like it in 15 years of this job.
“He was covered in a pink, greasy paint-like substance from head to tail with only his eyes clear. And he was in a car wash of all places – perhaps he was trying to clean himself off!?
“After a wash, his feathers were still stained pink (pictured below). The amount of paint coming off his body was astonishing.
“We can’t be sure whether the bird had been deliberately covered in paint or whether he’d fallen in something.
“If someone has intentionally painted the pigeon’s feathers then I’d be very concerned for other birds and animals in the area. This is a cruel and unnecessary thing to do to an animal and could cause health problems, impair his ability to fly and make him more vulnerable to predators.”
Dye and paints can be toxic to birds and animals, and they would be likely to try to clean any such substance from their coat or feathers which could result in them swallowing it.
“Luckily this pigeon wasn’t injured and we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to clean all of the paint off of his feathers and get him back to good condition so he can be released back into the wild where he belongs. I just hope his feathers haven’t been permanently damaged and that his flight won’t be affected, which could mean he will need to stay in care much longer before being released”.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | May 6, 2017 | Bird Netting
To start off this article, both scientists and the internet are unsure if this picture is real. However, police are reporting that birds made a nest out of hypodermic needles in Canada.
Michelle Davey, who is a Canadian Vancouver Police Superintendent tweeted the photo that has been making its rounds on the internet.
The picture shows a dirty sink that is filled with, what appears to be, used hypodermic needles. Laying on top of the syringes are three bleach-white eggs. The caption to the tweet reads “Pigeons spotted making a nest out of #needles in a #DTES SRO room. Sad reality of the #opioidcrisis #fentanyl #frontline #notstaged.”
According to Huffington Post, Police Sgt. Randy Fincham stated that the photo “was snapped by the department’s former homeless outreach coordinator while inspecting empty single-room occupancy housing.” Davey shared the photo on social media hoping to gain awareness to the city’s growing drug problem.
Fincham also told Huffington Post that “the image was also shared to start a conversation – a conversation about the harm-reduction efforts of first responders, and the need for treatment options for substance users.”
However, even though the photo is hoping to start a conversation, it seems like some are using it to question if it was all staged. Rita McMahon, director of the Wild Bird Fund wildlife rehabilitation center in New York City told Huffington Post that “Well, it could be [real], but I don’t think it is.”
McMahon went on to state that pigeons typically lay only two eggs. When they are making a nest, the bird would gather a series of items and not just use one.
The National Audubon Society is currently investigating the photo in order to see if it real. Regardless of what bird experts have to say about the image, the Vancouver Police Department still states that it is genuine.
