by Pigeon Patrol | Aug 6, 2014 | Animal Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
A CAT has been decapitated and pigeons shot in a series of animal cruelty incidents across Sussex this week.
A domestic cat found with no head in a Peacehaven garden has been reported to Sussex Police by a horrified vet.
A force spokeswoman said police had no idea how the cat – which also had a missing leg and tail – had been injured.
The RSCPA is separately investigating violent thugs shooting pigeons in Hove.
A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said: “A decapitated cat was found in the back garden of a house in Capel Avenue, Peacehaven, by the home owner on Monday at 8.20am.
“The cat was also missing its front leg and its tail. It is not known who the cat belonged to and it was not microchipped.
“The incident was reported to the police wildlife officer for the area.”
Three shot birds were found in Sackville Road near the railway bridge on Tuesday. It follows an incident a few weeks ago in which three other birds were found dead.
Two pigeons were found in the alleyway behind a back garden, already dead, and a third injured bird was found inside the garden. They were taken to the vet who found a bullet in the body of the injured bird, which had to be put down.
RSPCA inspector Tony Pritchard said: “There are too many coincidences here for this to have been a one off occurrence or an accident – we are seriously concerned someone is intentionally shooting birds and may continue to do so unless they are stopped.
“It is likely that all the birds were left to suffer a long lingering death – as would have happened to the injured bird had these kind people not called us.
“We would like to remind people it is an offence to intentionally injure wild animals in this way and urge anyone who knows anything about the shootings to let us know.”
Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, killing or injuring a bird can result in a six-month prison sentence or a £5,000 fine.
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 Pigeon Patrol | Aug 6, 2014 | Animal Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
In the dinosaur kingdom, the raptor reigns as a pop-culture bogeyman. While not as big as the T. Rex, the feathered creature had a mean set of teeth and claws. But there was at least one refuge from its tyranny: the air.
Now, however, scientists have discovered a new fossil that lays waste to that pleasant fiction. This new raptorial dinosaur named Changyuraptor yangi not only flew — it had four wings. And those wings were studded with the longest feathers any dinosaur has ever worn, said lead researcher Luis Chiappe of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he told The Washington Post. “It is a stunning specimen and it was stunning to see the size of the feathers. This is the dinosaur with the longest known feathers — by far. There is nothing like this by a very good distance. The feathers were one-fourth the size of the animal.” Chiappe paused for a moment. “It’s just wonderful,” he said.
In the pantheon of hulking dinos, this one wasn’t on the larger side. Published in the scientific journal Nature Communications on Tuesday, the article by Chiappe and colleagues reported it was only about four feet long and weighed about nine pounds — approximately three times the weight of your everyday seagull. But what it lacked in size, it made up for in importance, researchers said.
Classed as a “microraptorine,” its fossils “are essential for testing hypotheses explaining the origin and early evolution of avian flight,” the paper stated. “The lengthy feathered tail of the new fossil provides insight into the flight performance of microraptorines and how they may have maintained aerial competency at larger body sizes.”
Be nice if the WaPo would’ve told us this is from the Early Cretaceous (100-146M years ago). But anyway, that’s cool.
ntodd
by Pigeon Patrol | Aug 6, 2014 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
DALLAS (AP) — United Airlines is defending the poisoning of birds at Houston’s biggest airport, saying it was done for health and safety reasons. But the airline said Wednesday that it didn’t tell its contractor how to control the airport’s bird population, and will ask the firm to consider other methods the next time.
The contractor laid out corn kernels laced with a bird-killing nerve agent at Bush Intercontinental Airport. People who work around the airport reported seeing grackles and pigeons fall to the ground and spin around as they died.
The bait manufacturer, Avitrol Corp., says a lethal dosage causes birds to show distress — including alarm cries and trembling — that frightens away other birds. It usually causes death within an hour, the company says.
Airports commonly take steps to shoo away birds, which can be sucked into jet engines and cause a loss of power. In 2009, US Airways pilot Chesley Sullenberger safely ditched his Airbus A320 into the Hudson River after hitting a flock of Canada geese during the climb from New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
United spokeswoman Mary Clark said in a statement that the airline works with the airport on abatement programs “to reduce the health and safety risks posed by birds on airport property” and to “provide a clean and safe environment for our customers and employees.”
Clark said United hired a contractor, Texas Bird Services, which is experienced at removing birds from airports. She said the company complied with all regulations while laying bait at terminals and a maintenance hangar at Bush airport.
United will work with the contractor to consider alternate methods, Clark said. Texas Bird Services, which lists American Airlines and Delta Air Lines as references on its website, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Bush airport spokeswoman Katena Carvajales said the company’s work was reviewed Tuesday by officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and found to be within guidelines. She said controlling wildlife is important for safety and sanitation.
John Hadidian, a senior scientist at the Humane Society of the United States, said it would have been better for the airport to use netting, take away food sources, or use loud noises to deter the birds.
The biggest threat to aircraft is often larger birds such as geese. A group of U.S. agencies including the Federal Aviation Administration recommends steps such as limiting bird-friendly features like ponds and the use of technology to harass birds. The FAA is evaluating portable radar systems for tracking birds.
An FAA database lists more than 80 cases of planes colliding with wildlife — from sparrows and pigeons to cattle egrets — at Bush airport last year. Two planes were damaged — a United Boeing 737 was left with minor damage and a private business jet suffered substantial damage.
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 Pigeon Patrol | Aug 6, 2014 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
Theresa Schultz used to feed a flock of pigeons in Point State Park all the time. She thought she was performing a public service.
But park rangers didn’t see it that way. Two years ago they told the 81-year-old Squirrel Hill resident to stop because she was attracting geese and creating a nuisance.”They said it was up to them, not me,” she said. “I would not defy.”Mrs. Schultz followed orders because she feared going to jail.She needn’t have worried. Rarely are ordinances governing city, county and state parks enforced for minor infractions. And when they are, law-breakers get little more than a slap on the wrist.As temperatures rise and people flock to the region’s public spaces, violations of various rules seem rampant, according to an informal survey conducted in recent days by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporters.A host of illicit behaviors — walking dogs off a leash, splashing about in fountains and feeding birds — was visible from Mellon Square to Frick Park, Schenley Plaza to Point State Park.To be sure, certain misbehavior — such as public nudity or intoxication — is bound to spur unwanted attention or even a police response. But it’s the lesser violations, which also tend to be habitual, that underscore the toothless nature of regulations.”I’ve never seen anyone get in trouble for anything in a Pittsburgh park,” said Jason Lockard, 34.Court records attest to this. A review of Pittsburgh Municipal Court records shows just six violations this year under use regulations for parks and public spaces. Five were for being in parks after hours, and one was for driving off paved roads. None carried a fine. Last year there were 22 violations.The same low rate of enforcement holds true for the county’s public transit system, which asks patrons to obey rider etiquette in various ways. Citations are rare, Port Authority spokesman Jim Ritchie said, because the first response is simply to ask people eating, drinking or smoking on the bus or light rail to stop.Officials at all government levels say they prefer to educate rather than incarcerate.The clash between enforcing public ordinances and ignoring them has come into focus in Mellon Square, a Downtown plaza that reopened last month after a six-year, $10 million renovation.A prominent sign posted by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy near the center of the square bans, first and foremost, feeding pigeons and other birds. It also prohibits all forms of littering, swimming and bathing in the fountain and camping and building fires. By and large, these laws are uniform across the city, county and state.But Pittsburgh Councilwoman Darlene Harris, an avowed bird-feeding advocate, complains that ordinances are being unequally enforced. In her opinion, if the city wants to ban littering, then all forms of it — like throwing cigarette butts and french fries on the ground — must be punished. She said people like Mrs. Schultz who feed birds are being unfairly targeted.”Those parks are for everyone,” she said. “You can’t say, ‘you can’t feed the birds, but you can have lunch here.'”Mrs. Harris took issue with the parks conservancy setting rules for the use of public space.”When they start telling our residents what they can and cannot do in parks, then they are taking the roles of elected officials,” she said.Chris Fletcher, the conservancy’s content officer, defended his group’s role.”We were invited to be a part of this project, and we are required to follow all ordinances of the city,” Mr. Fletcher said. “The code expressly says that you can’t leave any organic or inorganic materials on the ground.”Even with the rule on the books, chances are slim that anyone would get in trouble for feedings birds in the plaza.Myron Hyman, a Mellon Square guard from the AM-GARD security firm contracted by the city, said he is supposed to allow people to feed pigeons out of their hands. More flagrant feeders who throw food on the ground are not cited, Mr. Myron, 29, said, but he gives them a stern lecture.In Pittsburgh there is no rule against feeding birds, but officials interpret the ban on littering to prohibit such activity. In the past two years, just one person has been charged under the city’s sanitation ordinance. The charge carried no monetary penalty and was dismissed.Meanwhile, county officials cannot write citations for feeding wildlife because it is not formalized in county ordinances, according to county spokeswoman Amie Downs.At all levels, the goal is education, officials said.”We want to bring the public up to speed — to teach them about the hazards and the dangers of feeding wildlife,” said John Hallas, assistant director of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of State Parks.Citations are issued only in cases of “flagrant or habitual violations,” and they carry little penalty beyond a nominal fine, Mr. Hallas said.The same apparently applies to dog walkers, who flout the rules just as much as bird feeders, if not more so.On a recent sunny weekday in Frick Park, dogs roamed untethered. Tricia Wood of Edgewood said she is careful to put her Australian Shepherd on a leash when she sees a white truck approaching — what she says is the well-known signal to dog walkers that Pittsburgh’s Bureau of Animal Care & Control is near. Otherwise, she said, the “off-leash area” carries little practical meaning.Rich Wagner, 57, said he walks through Frick Park’s four miles of trails every day, and frequently sees people walking their dogs without leashes despite it being a violation of city ordinances. He added that most rules have little hold over people’s behavior because there are few signs posted in the park.John Levine, a professor of social psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, said the prominence of signs articulating a given rule is a deciding factor in whether it is followed.When a rule is unclear or does not exist, it is social consensus that determines the norms people follow, Mr. Levine said.An Animal Control employee who would not give his name said he “could” cite people caught with roaming dogs, but rarely does. He referred further comment to Sonya Toler, spokeswoman for the Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety.Ms. Toler said that when someone breaks a law that is not a criminal offense, the police prefer to instruct rather than arrest.Mr. Levine said authorities use a cost-benefit analysis when deciding how to punish misbehavior. For park-related infractions, he said, the sliding scale may lead to a more lax response.On the same day that owners unleashed their dogs in Frick Park, Kinjal Patel, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student, dipped her feet in an Oakland fountain near Schenley Plaza, which is owned by the city. She said she knew it was against the rules, recalling how a Pitt police officer once told her to stop playing in the water. But he didn’t write her up, so, she figured, what’s the risk?Meghan Dale, a Pitt graduate student, said the enforcement of rules is similarly loose for the possession of alcohol on the plaza, where students congregate at outdoor concerts and other events.”As long as you’re not chugging,” Ms. Dale said, “it’s pretty hard to get in trouble.”
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 Pigeon Patrol | Aug 6, 2014 | Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeons in the News
A pigeon keeper whose birds were killed and lofts destroyed by a fire on Newcastle Quayside has spoken of his pain.
Shaun Dixon, 43, had only been keeping his beloved pigeons 18 months before he lost all 56 in the blaze, while one and a half of his two lofts were burnt to cinders.
Five lofts were destroyed altogether, while locks were also broken off many, with tools and other items missing from inside.
“I’m devastated,” said Shaun. “We get attached to our pigeons and they’re something we can never replace. This fire was definitely malicious, I’m going to have to start building all over again now.”
In total more than 400 pigeons were killed, worth tens of thousands of pounds to their owners.
This is believed to be the most recent in a string of arson attacks on pigeon crees in the North East.
Allotments were burnt in Benwell in May, while the Quayside site has suffered numerous previous incidents.
One pigeon keeper, who wished not to be named, said: “The people who did this weren’t kids, they must have been pretty strong to break the locks off the doors. They got in, took what they wanted and then set fire to the middle loft.
“Most of the guys here have been doing this since 1974. It’s a crying shame.”
Firefighters arrived at the scene where the huge blaze had taken hold on Skinnerburn Road near the Metro Radio Arena at around 9pm on Thursday.
The flames and smoke could be seen from the city centre and beyond.
The blaze happened while firefighters were on a 24-hour strike. Emergency crews put in place to provide cover during the walk-outs were dealing with the incident.
A spokeswoman for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said: “The cause of the fire is now under investigation.”
Witness Andy Milne, 27, said: “I live on the other side of the river, when it first started I just saw smoke and it got bigger and bigger.
“It was a few minutes later the fire engines started coming down and it just got bigger and bigger from that. Some of the trees round there caught fire.
“It looked like a building on fire. It is quite a sight, especially from this side of the river. It was a bit worrying considering the fire brigade were on strike.”
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)
A CAT has been decapitated and pigeons shot in a series of animal cruelty incidents across Sussex this week.
