Fury over dead pigeons: Great-gran finds 14 birds killed in suspected poisoning attack

Fury over dead pigeons: Great-gran finds 14 birds killed in suspected poisoning attack

1A woman was horrified to find pigeons, doves and blackbirds lying dead under trees in Witham in a suspected poisoning attack.

In recent weeks, great-grandmother Teresa Dawson, 77, of Collingwood Road, made 14 grim discoveries under trees in her garden, in Newlands Drive car park and Holy Family Church yard off Guithavon Street.

 

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)

 

Stray cat problem

Stray cat problem

stock-photo-48149480-ginger-tabby-cat-sitting-on-suburban-fenceDebate is raging online over how to deal with street cats following the recent death of a “cat mom” in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

A cat mom refers to a person who provides food to stray cats. The police at first suspected that the Yongin woman was killed by one of her neighbors who hated people taking care of stray cats, given that she was hit by a brick while setting up a shelter for feral cats in a garden at the apartment building.

But the suspect identified by the police on Friday was a 10-year-old boy who confessed he dropped the brick from the rooftop of the apartment building while playing with his friends.

While the cat mom was found to have been killed for reasons having nothing to do with stray cats, her death nevertheless highlighted the escalating tension between cat moms and residents.

These days we hear more frequently about people going to court due to conflicts over street cats.

Cat moms say there is nothing wrong with looking after alley cats. They even argue that feeding them contributes to keeping the neighborhood clean, as no trash bags would be dug into by hungry cats.

But they turn a blind eye to the problems that street cats can cause. Among other things, they pose health risks for residents as they can carry diseases.

Although stray cats present risks, getting rid of them in a merciless method is totally inappropriate in ethical terms.

But it is also problematic to let them proliferate without taking action. Seoul alone is believed to have more than 250,000 street cats.

The most effective method to stabilize stray cat populations is known to be the Trap-Neuter-Return program, which involves humanely trapping stray cats and having them spayed or neutered before returning them to their outdoor home.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government launched a TNR program in 2008, leaving its implementation to the 25 ward offices.

The Gangdong District ward office has been operating the TNR program successfully. The office set up community cat feeding stations as part of the program and managed to stabilize the feline population in the district.

The office says the feeding stations are also effective in reducing conflicts between residents over stray cats as they themselves play the role of cat moms.

The problem with feeding stations is that it takes money to operate them. Neutering also costs more than 100,000 won ($88) per cat. This is one reason other ward offices have difficulty maintaining the TNR program. But if conflicts over stray cats worsen, it would be worth the expense.

 

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)

Australia’s Feral Cat Problem

Australia’s Feral Cat Problem

93215c04b2c830dc072e47c4febed1fdTo Brigitte Bardot, it is nothing less than “animal genocide.” To the singer Morrissey, it is “taking idiocy just too far.” Indeed, Australia’s plan to kill two million stray cats — “two million smaller versions of Cecil the Lion,” in Morrissey’s poignant formulation — is a jaw dropper. In a fast urbanizing world, the only cats most people come in contact with are the family pet, an animal to be pampered and scratched, not fed poisoned carrion.

Australia’s vast population of feral cats is nothing like that. These descendants of domestic cats brought in by European settlers have evolved into efficient predators far bigger than the average house pet, and they devour an estimated 75 million native animals every day. They are responsible for a real animal genocide, having wiped out about 28 native Australian species — including the desert bandicoot, the lesser bilby and the crescent nailtail wallaby.

Australia’s environment minister, Greg Hunt, announced the plan to eradicate a tenth of the estimated 20 million wild cats by 2020, calling them “a tsunami of violence and death.” That’s one way of saying they are an ecological threat that Australia must confront. Introduced species like the Australian cats, or the Burmese pythons in the Everglades or the lionfish in the Atlantic, are major threats to native plants and animals, and since they were usually brought in by humans, humans have a responsibility to deal with the problems.

Animal-rights advocates like Ms. Bardot or Morrissey are right to protect animals against cruelty or abuse, and they should insist that Australia use the least painful methods to cull the cats. And those responsible for controlling introduced species must do so with utmost care. But we cannot deny the realities of protecting the diversity and health of the species with which we share our planet.

 

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)

Plenty of Pigeons populate Platzl

Plenty of Pigeons populate Platzl

pigeon airUp until a few years ago, Kimberley was free of Columba livia domestica, the domestic pigeon. But suddenly, you could spot one or two in town, and now you can seldom walk through the Platzl without seeing them.

The image of people tossing crumbs to pigeons is fairly iconic — picture St. Mark’s Square in Venice. But not everyone appreciates the presence of pigeons. At their regular Council meeting last week, Council was asked by a local business owner, Michelle Forbes, of City Bakery, to do something about people feeding pigeons in front of hers and a neighbouring business.

Forbes says feeding attracts more and more pigeons and they are becoming a problem.

“Initially there were three or four pigeons, which is not a problem, but as he has persisted feeding the pigeons every morning, this has grown to about 30 birds that have taken up roosting on the bakery roof and surrounding roofs. This is a health issue, as the large number of birds leave bird feathers and droppings, with feathers ending up inside of food establishments, which could actually have businesses shut down.”

Forbes told Council she had spoken with the bylaw officer and City staff, but doesn’t feel there is a satisfactory solution yet.

She believes pigeons should be added to Kimberley’s Do Not Feed Wildlife Bylaw.

Mayor Don McCormick says Council had quite the discussion about where pigeons fell into the city’s wildlife bylaw.

“How broad is the bylaw? We’re going to review that,” he said. “At the end of the day, people know you shouldn’t feed pigeons.

“There is not a lot a municipality can do to stop something people know they shouldn’t do. But if you see it, speak up. Peer pressure associated with behaviour can have an affect.”

McCormick says there are a lot of restaurants in the Platzl, many with outdoor patios.

“People eat outside, crumbs are dropped. If there’s less of that, the pigeons will go away. It may not be a major issue, but we’ll pay attention.”

However, McCormick says there is a broader aspect to this beyond pigeons or deer, and that’s the notion that if there’s a behaviour you don’t like, the city has to stop it.

“There is no way one bylaw officer can cover everything,” he said. “Our bylaw enforcement does respond to complaints coming through. It’s the only realistic thing we can do and for the most part it works well.”

 

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)

Conwy pensioner fined for refusing to stop feeding birds in her own back garden

Conwy pensioner fined for refusing to stop feeding birds in her own back garden

net1bA pensioner’s determination to feed the birds in her garden has made life a misery for neighbours, a court was told.

Each morning flocks of pigeons, jackdaws and seagulls descend on Brenda Hawkins’ lawn and wall when she puts out her seed mixture and other food.

The birds’ droppings soil her neighbours’ washing hanging on the lines, their cars are continually splattered and they feel threatened by “divebombing” birds.

“There are sometimes 80-100 large birds, mainly pigeons and the noise of the jackdaws is horrendous,” said Linda Jones, anti-social behaviour officer with Conwy County Borough Council.

Speaking at Llandudno magistrates’ court on Saturday, she said that 74-year-old Hawkins had refused to accept advice about merely using a bird feeder which would be inaccessible to larger birds.

Hawkins, of Brookfield Drive, Rhos-on-Sea, pleaded not guilty to comply with a Community Protection Notice (CPN) served on her in June, a step which was taken after previous attempts to persuade her to reduce the nuisance had failed.

Prosecutor Julia Longworth said that CPNs were introduced last year to deal with conduct considered detrimental to the quality of life through unreasonable behaviour.

‘My conscience is clear’
Linda Jones said she became aware of the problem in May 2014, and Hawkins was written to in July of that year, but she continued to feed the birds.

She ignored advice and when told in April this year she could face legal action Hawkins replied: “I’ll go to jail first.”

Diane Fredman, whose garden in Cambrian Drive backs onto the Hawkins’ garden, said she moved into the area six years ago to enjoy retirement.

“We have not been able to do so because of the number of birds,” she said.

Asked if the situation had improved since the CPN was served on Hawkins in June, she replied: “They are still there every day, the same volume and mess. It is very stressful.”

Hawkins said: “I think pigeons are wonderful birds and they don’t make a mess. They cannot defecate when they are flying.

“I know what I am doing; my conscience is clear.”

The Bench found Hawkins guilty and chairman Sandra Ogden-Jones told her: “You have not taken any reasonable steps to comply with the notice and your actions are causing distress to others.”

Hawkins was fined £200 and ordered to pay costs of £409, a criminal court charge of £520 and a surcharge of £20.

 

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)

Pigeons mess up school

Pigeons mess up school

_88217692_gettyimages-490604622A PIGEON infestation at Cunupia High School has forced teachers to seek refuge in the school’s library.

Additionally, the school is also faced with another problem of stray dogs living on the compound and sleeping in classrooms.

Teachers who reported for duty yesterday decided to suspend classes and operate from the library as most of the classrooms were covered with pigeon droppings while in some areas, the birds were living under desks in classrooms.

Sources at the school told Newsday that the stray dog population increased during the recent August vacation with several puppies playing in the yard. Students have in the past complained about being bitten by ticks and fleas. Shortly after 9 am, teachers took a decision not to operate under these conditions and informed school principal Noreen Rajkumar about their decision.

The teachers also informed the TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) and the PTA about their decision to abandon classes. TTUTA has promised to send a representative today to assess the situation. After taking roll call, the teachers left their respective classes and headed for the library. Teachers also claimed that equipment purchased for use by students are missing.

Equipment include power saws, compressors and other pieces of equipment valued thousands of dollars. Teachers pointed out that even the timetable for students for the various forms were not provided until Tuesday and when students checked the timetables given to them, it clashed with other classes and now the timetables have to be redone. They added that parents of students attending classes have been seeking transfers because of the numerous problems. They are calling on the new Minister of Education (Arima MP Anthony Garcia is tipped for this post) to intervene.

 

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)