by Ryan Ponto | Apr 1, 2017 | Bird Netting
JANAKPURDHAM: Over a dozen of pigeons were found dead in and around the Janaki Temple in Janakpurdham in Dhanusha district recently.
According to a social activist Nathunilal Das, the pigeons domesticated in the temple area were found dead and the cause of the death was unknown till now.
He said many of his pigeons also died in past three days.
The Dhanusha District Livestock Service Office is yet to ascertain the disease behind the deaths.
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 | Mar 31, 2017 | Bird Netting
LUBBOCK, Texas (KLBK) — A team of administrators and students at Texas Tech University are working together to fight the mass pigeon population on campus. They’re now working on distributing a birth control that is safe for the pigeons to eat, and that won’t allow their eggs to complete fertilization process.
“It’s used to make the eggs infertile, it breaks up the layers so the egg yolk and egg white do not connect. So the bird will keep laying eggs but the eggs will not fertilize. It does not harm the birds,” Erin Bohlander, a Ph.D. student in the Natural Resource Management Program at Texas Tech said.
Sean Childers, the Assistant Vice President of Operations at Texas Tech, heads the project and said the birth control won’t save them money immediately but they expect it to drastically in the future.
“We spend over $100,000 a year on man-hours and resources to clean up pigeon remains around campus. We wanted to take a step back and think more globally. How can we get ahead of this situation? What can we do that is non-harmful and humane and get ahead of the population,” Childers said.
The birth control is called “Ovo” and will be mixed within feeders with cracked corn. Bohlander said they anticipate having to feed all year long since Pigeon’s breed year-round.
“We’re hoping to humanely decrease the population by 90-95 percent,” Bohlander said.
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 | Mar 29, 2017 | Bird Netting
If anyone is concerned about the number of pigeons flocking at various locations around Crookston, it’s going to be several months before anything can be done to reduce the local population’s numbers.
That was the word from City Administrator Shannon Stassen this week, after Ward 6 Council Member Tom Vedbraaten said a local businessperson approached him with complaints about the number of pigeons perching in various spots downtown.
The City, in partnership with SunOpta, had a trapper come in last year, Stassen said, but he said the trapper only works during winter’s coldest months because the pigeons are more susceptible to being lured by bait.
“They want it as cold as it can be so they can bait them,” Stassen explained. “They won’t flock up at this time of the year; winter is the only time they can catch them.”
The last time the trapper came to town, he nabbed around 450 pigeons, he noted. Stassen said the trapper did a quick inventory of the Crookston pigeon population this past winter and didn’t think any trapping activity was warranted at the time.
“They do seem to be flocking up,” Mayor Wayne Melbye said.
Stassen said the trapper, who traps pigeons throughout the region, will be contacted in the fall for some potential winter 2017-18 trapping.
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 | Mar 28, 2017 | Bird Netting
Sequencing the genome of the Endangered Pink Pigeon may help protect the rare bird from a human introduced pathogen.
The Pink Pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri) is an Endangered species on the Island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. The existence of the species is somewhat of a miracle considering that in the 1990’s its population fell to an alarming 10 individuals. Now the population hovers around 400, but the birds still face a number of threats.
While the sudden growth in population seems like a good thing, it had an unintended consequence. Increasing the population at such a rapid rate from only 10 individuals resulted in a population with low genetic variation. Low genetic variation can make species more vulnerable to threats.
The population faces threats of invasive species and a human introduced pathogen called Trichimonas gallinaeleaves, which is toxic to approximately 60% of Pink Pigeon offspring. The portion of the population that is not harmed appears to have some immunity to the pathogen.
Researchers at the Earlham institute and the University of East Anglia want the Pink Pigeon to be the first endangered bird species to have its genome sequenced. The belief is that by sequencing their genes, they can identify immune system genes that could protect them against the pathogen. The head of the campaign to sequence the Pink Pigeons genes commented:
Halting species extinction may be possible when the main cause of extinction has a genetic basis, particularly when genetic variation needed to supplement and rescue the species is still available in either the captive or wild populations. Our plan uses the pink pigeon to show how this can be achieved, creating a framework that could be easily transferred to other species across the world.
Sequencing the Pink Pigeon’s genome would give researchers more information to save the species from extinction. Pink Pigeons are an important part of the Mauritius island ecosystem–hopefully new research will help them thrive once again.
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 | Mar 27, 2017 | Bird Netting
Like many lay Buddhists in Thailand, Pratana Laoterdkiat likes to make merit by freeing or feeding animals to restore her spirits when she feels gloomy, but experts warn the tradition needs to be curbed as it can cause damage to property and harm the animals while potentially helping to spread infectious diseases.
Ms Pratana, a native of southern Trang province, occasionally journeys to Bangkok to pay homage at Wat Rakhang Khositaram (“Temple of the Bells”) and engage in such merit-making, which is believed to help determine the quality of the next life and assist a person’s growth towards enlightenment.
She was in the capital last week to pay her respects at the Grand Palace to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who passed away last October at the age of 88. While in the city, she dropped by the temple to feed the pigeons at a nearby pier and throw bread to the fish in the Chao Phraya River.
“I feel good when I see the fish eating the bread I’ve prepared for them,” she said. “I feel like I’ve helped them and that makes me happy.”
Even though freeing animals from captivity or saving them from certain death is an accepted part of Buddhist practice, and one that proponents believe will remove bad luck, reduce illness or boost good fortune, it has come under attack from environmentalists, animal lovers and even health officials.
Nowadays, for example, Wat Rakhang Khositaram suffers from an overpopulation of pigeons that is causing headaches for its caretakers, damaging its property and also affecting nearby communities.
In another case, a turtle called Orm Sin that had spent a quarter of a century swallowing “good luck” coins at a temple died of complications after a second operation to save her failed. Nearly 1,000 coins were removed from her stomach, many from merit makers.
After the incident, Vet Nantarika Chansue asked them to refrain from using animals as a tool to make merit.
But Ms Pratana said she was brought up in an environment where such good deeds were praised, suggesting that more work is needed to educate people about the complex issues at play.
“We’re taught to do good deeds,” she said. “We often release fish into water or birds into the sky.”
“Animals provide food and in this way it is giving back to nature. We can’t say for sure whether this will help us in our own lives, such as overcoming some form of hardship, but we certainly feel better when we do it.”
According to local folklore, different animals are associated with different blessings.
For example, pla mor (climbing perch) is believed to keep illness at bay, probably because its name sounds similar to the Thai word for doctor (mor); eels can bring wealth; and catfish can help you avoid conflict, or even war. Meanwhile, thanks to their long lifespan, turtles may give you a long and healthy life.
Ms Pratana said she had never considered the negative impact of the ritual, especially the risk of pigeons spreading infectious diseases to humans.
“From now on, I may consider making merit in other ways,” she said, adding that she has in recent years lost her faith in Buddhist monks because of the mounting reports of their unholy acts.
Meanwhile, in response to Wat Rakhang Khositaram’s pigeon problem, Pracha Pattanarat, the local district chief, has ordered a large placard be put up in front of the temple warning visitors of the risks.
“Pigeons breed very quickly,” he said, adding that before they are released the birds must be tested for disease.
He urged the public and animal vendors to cooperate with the authorities in supporting the bird control programme initiated by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), which is also aimed at reducing the local bird population.
“If we keep feeding them, they’ll just come for more. They will see the temple as a food source,” Mr Pracha said.
On March 23, a combined team of city officers led by Mr Pracha and officials from the BMA’s Communicable Disease Control (CDC) Division, led by director Methipoj Chatametheekul, inspected the temple and ran random blood tests on the pigeons there. They were assisted by the Veterinary Public Health Division.
Two sets of blood samples were taken from 10 pigeons, Mr Methipoj said, adding that the preliminary results had not yielded any indication of disease.
More detailed results will come in a few days, he said.
Mr Pracha said another issue is that of the birds’ waste defacing public and private property. Their droppings also contain dangerous fungi and bacteria that are potentially harmful to humans, he added.
In the meantime, officials from the CDC have been hanging wax on trees inside the temple to try and keep them away, Mr Methipoj said, adding that educational campaigns for lay Buddhists have also been launched.
According to Phra Kru Samuwatchara, who assists the abbot, the temple has already spent over 10 million baht repairing a sermon hall and improving the condition of other historical sites tainted by pigeon droppings.
One of the problems is local vendors, some of whom sell birds to temple visitors so they can free them.
When interviewed, a vendor calling herself Aunty Lek said she was aware of the issues but seemed reluctant to lose her livelihood. However she said she supported the idea of the authorities catching the pigeons and removing them to other areas.
Aunty Lek said she has cooperated with the authorities and also educates customers who want to make merit in this way by teaching them about what not to do to ensure the animals themselves are not harmed.
For example, terrapins and turtles cannot survive in rivers because of the fast-flowing water, she said. They need calm waters with land nearby where they can rest to survive, she added.
Yongyuth Yukong visits the temple regularly with his son. He said he hopes parents educate their kids about animal welfare to minimise the damage caused by releasing them.
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)
