by Pigeon Patrol | Jun 14, 2021 | Bird Spikes, Columbidae, Doves, history of pigeons, MBCA, Pigeon Droppings
Odors are known to be essential for navigation during homeward orientation and migration of some bird species. Yet little was known about their chemical composition. An international team has now identified volatile organic compounds that can be used for olfactory navigation by homing pigeons and proved the existence of suitable regional chemical gradients in the air on a landscape-scale in Tuscany.
Many bird species can find their way home even after being brought to remote or unfamiliar locations. Over 40 years of research on homing pigeons have shown that environmental odors play a crucial role in this process. Yet the chemical identity of these odors has remained a mystery. An international team of scientists from the Max Planck Institutes for Chemistry (Mainz) and of Animal Behavior (Radolfzell), and the Universities of Konstanz, Pisa and Mainz has now identified potential chemical navigational cues that could be used by homing pigeons. Based on the collected data, the researchers were also able to create regional olfactory maps for marine emissions, biogenic compounds, and anthropogenic mixed air and to establish the existence of regional navigable chemical gradients in the air.
During the scientific mission, which took place in 2017 and 2018 in the Italian region of Tuscany, the researchers measured a suite of airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs) over a period of months at the pigeon’s home aviary. Some of these compounds are emitted by trees, the pine fragrance one smells during a walk in the forest. Other pungent natural emissions come from the sea, while still further VOCs can be emitted from industry. The measurements enabled regional maps to be constructed connecting chemicals with wind direction and speed. Additional measurements were taken in selected regional forest environments and by air using an ultralight plane flying at 180 meters – the average altitude of flying pigeon. The scientists merged the information they had gathered during the field campaigns with GPS tracks obtained from released birds. Thus, they generated multiple regional, horizontal and vertical spatial chemical gradients that can form the basis of an olfactory map.
Olfactory maps based on environmental odors
“Ornithologists from Germany and Italy have shown in more than 40 years of experiments, that pigeons use airborne odors to navigate home,” explains Nora Zannoni, post-doctoral researcher at Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and the study’s first author. Those results have shown that pigeons construct an olfactory map based on the distribution of environmental odors they have perceived over several months at the home aviary. This knowledge is then used as a compass at the point of release to return back home from unfamiliar sites. “By proving the existence of regional chemical gradients in the air around the experimental site we provide support for the olfactory navigation hypothesis and with atmospheric measurements we have found which chemicals can be used for navigation,” adds Zannoni. Some compounds come from forested areas (monoterpenes) or the sea (DMS) while others are emitted from cities and industrial complexes (trimethylbenzene), spots that act like chemical lighthouses.
One of the biggest challenges during this research campaign was its multidisciplinary character. “We had to combine the different approaches of several scientific disciplines – atmospheric and analytical chemistry, ornithology and animal behavior, computer science and statistics,” says Martin Wikelski, managing director at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior.
“It’s amazing really,” adds Jonathan Williams the project leader at the MPIC’s Atmospheric Chemistry Department in Mainz. “We uncovered these chemical gradients using several tones of ultrasensitive scientific equipment, but the same complex odor information can be analyzed and converted to a regional map by a 400-gram pigeon.”
Source
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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
by Pigeon Patrol | Jun 14, 2021 | Bird Spikes, Columbidae, Doves, Pigeon Predators, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons, Pigeons in the News
Getting rid of pigeons on your own isn’t easy. These pest birds have an inbred homing instinct that makes them feel attached to their established roosting and nesting sites. Plus, mating pairs can hatch as many as four broods a year, so a small pigeon problem can quickly turn into a disaster. Pigeons will resort to laying eggs on bare surfaces if need be, so getting rid of pigeons isn’t as simple as removing their nests. Fortunately, Bird Barrier offers a number of high-quality pigeon control products that can effectively resolve any type of pigeon problem.
Problems Caused by Pigeons Sitting and Nesting
Pigeons are the most common type of pest bird in North America and they cause a variety of problems at all kinds of buildings, from airports to manufacturing facilities to power plants and the rooftops of stores, offices, and homes. Because pigeon droppings contain uric acid, which is highly corrosive, pigeons can cause a great deal of damage in a short amount of time. Feral pigeons are responsible for untold millions of dollars of damage each year in urban areas. Here are a few of the other most common pigeon roosting problems (and reasons why people need effective pigeon deterrents):
- Pigeons (and pigeon waste) can hurt the image of a business or commercial enterprise as they leave a bad impression
- Collected debris from roosting pigeon flocks can cause water damage by blocking up gutters and drains
- Roosting pigeons often cause extensive damage to air conditioning units and other rooftop machinery
- Droppings create hazardous surfaces that lead to slip and fall liability
- Bacteria, fungal agents, and ectoparasites found in pigeon droppings can pose a health risk.
Tell us about your pigeon problem and we’ll point you to the solutions you need.
Pigeon Control Solutions: Pigeon Spikes, Netting, Birth Control and More
Because pigeon prevention can be easier than pigeon removal, we at Bird Barrier always recommend proactive use of deterrent products that will cause these birds to roost elsewhere, so their homing instinct isn’t bringing them back to your property!
If you already have a flock of pigeons on your property, the first line of defense, as with all pest birds, is removing all sources of food and water from the site. However, you will need to take additional steps to control an established pigeon problem. Bird Barrier offers a number of solutions to deter and repel pigeons, from pigeon spikes to exclusion netting to birth control and beyond. With the right pigeon control products, you can solve any pigeon problem for good.
How to Select the Right Pigeon Deterrents For Any Situation
The most effective approaches to pigeon control and prevention include:
- Exclusion Netting
- Electric Shock
- Spikes, Optical Gel, Coil
- Pigeon Reproductive Control
- Audio, Visual, and Taste Deterrents
by Pigeon Patrol | May 25, 2021 | Bird Law, Bird Spikes, Doves, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons
Most of the pigeons you see around a city, building, bridge, billboard or other structure, are pigeons that were born and raised close by. A few may be “vagrants” and constantly on the move, but most of them are going to be your neighborhood pigeons that will be nesting and breeding near to where you see them if food and water is close by.
Feral pigeons (Columbia livia) are the number one urban pest bird, causing damage where ever they nest or roost. Pigeons are descendants of domesticated European homing pigeons or Rock Doves, so they have a varied diet and feel at ease making their homes in man-made structures. Generally blue-grey in color, with iridescent feathers on the head and neck, pigeons often have markings in black, white or brown on the wings and neck. A short neck and small head characterize the standard pigeon; their short legs, hind toes and level front allow for both easy perching on pipes and ledges or walking on flat surfaces. Pigeons generally nest in small, flat areas away from the ground such as building ledges, air conditioning units or window sills.
Pigeons will inhabit any area that will offer them shelter from the climate, for example: architectural features of buildings, lofts, church steeples, attics, and any place with openings that allow for roosting, loafing, and nesting. Pigeon nests consist of twigs, sticks, and grass clumped together to form a platform. Pigeons are monogamous birds. “Eight to twelve days after mating, the female will lay 1 or 2 eggs which hatch after approximately 18 days. The male, during this time, is providing nesting material and guards the female and the nest.” When pigeons are born, they feed on pigeon milk which is “a liquid/solid substance secreted in the crop of both adults that is regurgitated” into the mouths of the young pigeons. Most young leave the nest at approximately 4 to 6 weeks of age. During this time another batch of eggs may have already been laid. Breeding most commonly occurs during the spring and fall, but reproduction can occur all year long. A flock of pigeons will normally have an equal amount of males and females. A pigeon’s normal lifespan in nature is about 3 to 4 years.
A pigeon can go, if necessary, a long time without food or even water. Most birds need a constant water source and that they will visit every day. Pigeons are skilled in finding water and food sources, and rarely have trouble finding a source in the city. Individual pigeons can have a home range of 150 miles, although most will stay close to home, which is generally considerably less than 25 miles or so. If their food and water sources change drastically, however, they will migrate, to another spot, near or far, with better provisions.
Damage caused by Pigeon Problems
Pigeon control is important due to the damage and disease problems these birds often create, check out Health Risk page. The uric acid in pigeon feces is highly corrosive and can cause extensive damage to metals and other substrates it sits on for long periods. Debris from flocks of problem pigeons often build up, backing up gutters and drains which can cause flooding and roof damage. Nesting materials and other debris has caused failures in machinery, especially rooftop air conditioning units which are a prime nesting spot for pigeons. Other frequent pigeon problems include slip and fall liability from feces or debris, plus an unclean, dirty company image is presented when pigeons are roosting all over a building or store front sign. The bacteria, fungal agents and ectoparasites found in pigeon droppings are responsible for a host of serious diseases, including histoplasmosis, encephalitis, salmonella, meningitis, toxoplasmosis and more. Pigeons also carry ectoparasites for example: fleas, lice, mites, ticks, and other biting pests. Many companies have significant clean up costs due to the pigeon problems that they don’t resolve. The pigeons that are located around airports threaten human safety due to a possible bird-aircraft collision. The U.S. Air Force considers pigeons as a medium priority hazard to jet aircrafts.
FLYING RATS ?
In today’s world, the common structure-dwelling pigeons have become the avian equivalents of city rodents. “Flying Rats,” as they have been described. Unfortunately, they have been forced into this role by man, as much as by their own natural instincts and habits. First and foremost to the problem of overpopulation, are the numbers of nooks and crannies that modern man builds into the exterior of all of his structures, forming the basic nesting home sites for pigeons and other birds. This means that almost every house, commercial building, bridge, billboard, gas canopy, or other large structure harbors a number of these potential nest or roosting sites. Bad for us, good for the pigeon.
Although pigeons are not very smart, they are creatures of habit and will try to return to the same places as before looking for a way back into it’s old nest site of favorite roosting spot, that’s call bird pressure.
Pigeons also become habituated to humans, by being extensively fed by humans, as in outdoor eating restaurants, parks and schools which only aggravates the problem. Pigeons, domesticated for thousands of years, are easily tamed and handled by humans. It is important to note that NO wild animals, including wild pigeons, should be fed, at any time, for any reason, by anyone.
Pigeon Control Products
The best pigeon control product is 2″ or 3/4” bird netting. Bird net is extremely durable and creates a true bird barrier against problem pigeons “homing” to their natural instinct to stay near their birth site. Pigeon netting completely controls pigeon problems, forcing the birds to look elsewhere for a nesting site.
In addition to bird net, other very effective bird control and pigeon control products are electrical shock track , bird spike, chemical bird control aversion hazing systems, OvoControl -birth control for pigeons, bird control post and wire systems and many other products. These pigeon control or bird control products work best where pigeons are nesting or roosting and the pigeons are “homing” (committed to remaining at the site). For pigeon problem areas where the birds are not nesting live catch pigeon traps can be an effective pigeon control method.
TOXICANTS AND POISONS
In certain areas, the use of a toxicant for pigeons is allowed for the control of pigeons. There are several types, the two most often used is a product with the brand name of “Avitrol”.
Both are used exactly the same way, by pre-baiting with ordinary feed corn or seed for 5 – 7 days and then when the pigeons or birds are accepting the bait readily, the corn is laced with the toxicant and doled out to the pigeons when the birds eat the treated bait the birds have a reaction, some act loopy and many die or get very sick. Then the process can be started again with pre-baiting for 5 – 7 days etc.. This process is very labor intensive if it is done correctly and according to label directions a service person must stay around and pick up dead and dying birds then remove any remaining treated bait so protected birds don’t get into the bait.
Unfortunately most of the time we see a Pest Control Technician putting a pie tin or something on a roof top, put in the bait and leaving the bait there all month long which will only make the birds that survive shy away from the corn. In most cases baiting when done right the affected pigeons die. No matter what kind of story some technician will give you, these bait products do not make the pigeons forget where they live, act like BIRDIE LSD, or make the pigeons act crazy and fly away, it kills many of them.
We do not use poison baits for any type of bird.
We feel Live Trapping is a much more effective solution.
These products all act as a poison to birds since they are flock reduction products and you carry the added liability of having a poisoned bird dropping into someone’s yard where the dog or cat can eat the baited bird and possibly get sick or worse yet die – Then who do you think your neighbors will be looking for to sue $$$
SOME UNUSUAL PIGEON FACTS
Remember to respect the pigeon. This chubby little bird has the uncanny ability to find it’s way home, no matter what, and no matter from where. To date, science can only theorize as to exactly how the pigeons do this.
Trying to discover or prevent pigeons from returning home, researchers have tried to confuse them in every way possible. By transporting them to a remote location: In the dark, in randomly rotating cages, with strong or weak magnetic fields, with flashing lights, and even anesthetized, or any combinations of these, (and others too) nothing seemed to affect their navigation skills, even in unfamiliar territories.
Pigeons are suspected of using magnetic structures already known to be in their brains, but there was still no change in their ability, even when tiny, removable magnets were attached to their heads, supposedly to confuse these structures.
RACING PIGEONS
Most people can’t tell the difference between a racing pigeon and a regular feral pigeon. Hobbyists race homing pigeons all over the world and U.S. hobbyists all across North America. They do lose birds occasionally, and those years when there is a poor return rate of the birds are said to correlate with strong magnetic storms. Alternatively, the birds may have found a more appealing park or gutter en route. Some pigeons you may see on the street, therefore, could be the pigeons that didn’t make it back home. Rescued pigeons, or birds of any kind, should not be handled. Actual domestic pigeons that have escaped from individual owners, are usually banded and can be identified by the National Pigeon Association. This website contains information and even a link on how to report lost pigeons. The pigeon’s owner will certainly appreciate any information you can supply, as a lost pigeons is an investment of time and money for the pigeon owner.
Source
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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
by Pigeon Patrol | May 17, 2021 | Bird Law, Doves, history of pigeons, pet bird, Pigeon Control
Earth’s magnetic field plays a vital role in everything from animal migration to protecting the Earth from the Sun’s harsh solar wind. Now, a recent study finally sheds light on how some birds visually see Earth’s magnetic field. Birds use Earth’s magnetic field as sort of a heads-up display to help them navigate the globe.
The Earth’s magnetic field is a result of the movement or convection of liquid iron in the outer core. As the liquid metal in the outer core moves, it generates electric currents, which lead to a magnetic field. The continual movement of liquid metal through this magnetic field creates stronger electrical currents and thus a stronger magnetic field. This positive feedback loop is called the geomagnetic dynamo.
While scientists have known for quite some time that birds can see Earth’s magnetic field, it was unclear exactly how birds are able to visualize the magnetic field. Two recent studies from researchers at Lund University in Sweden and Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg in Germany discovered that the ability is a result of a special protein in bird’s eyes. The two papers studied European robins and zebra finches and found evidence for an unusual eye protein called Cry4.
The Cry4 protein is part of a class of protein called a cryptochrome that is sensitive to blue light. Cryptochromes are found in both plants and animals and are responsible for circadian rhythms in various species. In the two bird species above, it appears that the presence of cryptochromes, specifically the Cry4 protein, is responsible for the ability of birds to visually detect Earth’s magnetic field.
The ability to see Earth’s magnetic field, known as magnetoreception, relies on the presence of specifically the blue wavelength of light. The complex process involves “radical” intermediate molecules which are sensitive to Earth’s magnetic field. The Earth’s magnetic field, as it relates to the direction the bird is facing, could alter the intermediate radical molecules differently, giving the bird a sense for where it is facing in relation to the Earth’s magnetic field.
The research team also found that the Cry4 protein was produced in much higher amounts in European robins during migration season. Perhaps this would give the robin a more precise picture of Earth’s magnetic field throughout its migration.
While the exact way birds visualize Earth’s magnetic field is part of further investigation, scientists believe the Cry4 protein acts as sort of a filter over the bird’s vision. This filter would allow birds to see a sort of compass of the Earth and direct their migratory flights accordingly.
Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign believe birds see Earth’s magnetic field through a filter similar to the figure above. This would act to guide birds in the right direction through migration.
Source
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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
by Pigeon Patrol | May 10, 2021 | Columbidae, Doves, pet bird, Pigeon Droppings, Pigeon Predators, Pigeons
This is the last bite of the food portion of NPR Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep’s Revolutionary Road trip from Tunisia to Cairo, in which Steve arrives in Cairo and samples stuffed pigeon.
Dear Salt,
Since my first visit to Egypt in 2011, my NPR colleague Kimberly Adams has been insisting that I try stuffed pigeon. It’s a delicacy in Egypt. I finally took her advice the other night at a Cairo restaurant called the Abu Sid. They serve you the whole bird, with a variety of stuffings; I ordered pigeon stuffed with rice.
The birds are small — small enough that a single order consists of two. There’s probably more rice than meat inside, but the rice was moist. I hope it’s not too much of a cliché to say that the meat tasted like the darker parts of a chicken.
As you know, many Americans are a little shocked to hear about stuffed pigeon because in the United States, pigeons are widely regarded as little more than rats with wings. And this leads to my question:
Roughly how much of the world regards pigeon as a delicacy and how much as a disgusting pest?
Dear Steve,
The short answer seems to be that in most parts of the world, including some fancy U.S. restaurants, young pigeons (squab) are highly prized for the moist, dark, gamey flesh you just tasted.
These avian superstars are the very same species as the Rock Pigeons that drive New Yorkers crazy, says Courtney Humphries, author of Superdove: How the Pigeon Took Manhattan… And the World. But “the main difference between the pigeons on your windowsill and on your plate is: Lifestyle,” Humphries says.
Those juicy little squabs we eat didn’t scavenge the city for garbage.
If you dine on pigeon in the U.S. – whether in Chinatown, Little Italy or a white tablecloth restaurant — your bird probably came from somewhere like the Palmetto Pigeon Plant in South Carolina. This institution, founded in the 1920s, raises hundreds of thousands of squabs every year, as well as Cornish hens and poussin.
And you can be sure that the pigeons you ate in Cairo were raised for the plate too. “Egyptian pigeons are bred only for consumption,” says Anne-Marie Bissada, a Canadian-Egyptian journalist who writes the cooking blog The Egyptian Kitchen. “All throughout the countryside, you can find these little towers that keep all the pigeons,” she says.
But, there are feral pigeons in Egyptian cities, she tells The Salt, and “the pigeons that we hate in North America are just as hated there, too.”
In fact, it seems that once you get a taste for grilled or stuffed pigeon, a pigeon problem won’t be far behind. Andrew Blechman, who wrote Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World’s Most Revered and Reviled Bird, says “the vast majority of today’s feral pigeons can trace their roots to the proliferation of dovecotes across Eurasia. Ancient Rome was populated with feral pigeons nesting on its monuments and homes.” And Courtney Humphries points out that “the street pigeons we see in North America today are here because pigeons were carried over on ships to feed European colonists.”
But whether you love the bird or hate it, The Salt can’t think of a more fitting topic for your your last culinary post from the Revolutionary Road. Pigeons are not just the world’s oldest domesticated bird — more ancient than Ancient Egypt — but a delicacy prized across North Africa, and a food for the poor as well as the powerful.
But, as Andrew Blechman observes, they are also the long time bearers of good and bad news. “It was a pigeon that delivered the results of the first Olympics in 776 B.C., and a pigeon that first brought news of Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo more than 2,500 years later.”
Now, of course, we have NPR.
Thank you, Steve, and safe travels.
Source
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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
by Pigeon Patrol | May 3, 2021 | Bird Law, Bird Spikes, Doves, Pigeon Control, Pigeon Patrol's Services
Officials believe an inmate at a jail in Costa Rica trained a feathered friend to smuggle cocaine and cannabis in a pouch.
A pigeon smuggling cocaine and cannabis into a prison in Costa Rica has been caught by guards.
The bird was seen landing in the central concourse of the medium security La Reforma jail, in San Rafael de Alajuela, where it was taken into custody.
The drugs were contained in a small zipped up pouch strapped to the animals chest.
About 14g of cocaine and at least the same amount of cannabis were inside wrapped in plastic.
Costa Rica’s Ministry of Justice and Peace released the animal’s mugshot under the headline caption “narcopaloma”, meaning “drugs dove”, and listing the date of the animals detention.
Realidad7 reported the drugs had a street value of around £180 ($281).
Prison officials said they believe the drugs were destined for use by an inmate who may have trained the pigeon to act as a courier.
Director of the Penitentiary Police, Paul Bertozzi, told Spanish news agency Efe that it showed the need to be vigilant.
“Drug traffickers are using unimaginable ways to achieve their macabre atrocities,” he said.
“This (use of a pigeon) is nothing new. In the past (the traffickers) have used cats and dogs to pass drugs to prisoners. Now it seems they are using pigeons to carry in their wares from the outside.”
Although it is the first time the Costa Rican authorities said they had come across the practice, it has previously been reported in Argentina in 2013 and Colombia in 2011.
The pigeon was later taken to a zoo where it was expected to remain behind the bars of a cage.
Biologist Oscar Ramirez told Realidad7 that pigeons can be trained to travel several miles with small loads.
During the Second World War, more than 250,000 homing pigeons were used to transport messages between front line Allied troops and top brass, according to the Royal Pigeon Racing Association.
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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
