by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 8, 2024 | Bird Netting
More than 2,000 people have signed a petition over concerns arouund the dead bird
A number of pigeons found dead in traps along SkyTrain routes in Vancouver have sparked concern from the public, but the pest control company that runs these traps says it has nothing to do with neglect.
Commuter Zahra Ahmdz started a petition against transit operator TransLink in the summer of 2021 after noticing the traps inside the Stadium-Chinatown station on her way to work, and what she said was very clearly multiple dead pigeons inside.
“It was very, very shocking. I didn’t think this would happen in Canada,” she said.
The traps are one of several methods TransLink uses to control the population of pigeons at SkyTrain stations, but the birds are never supposed to die inside. TransLink hires a pest control company to check the traps once a week, ensure there is adequate food and water inside and humanely kill any birds captured.
Media relations advisor Thor Diakow said it’s possible some pigeons did die inside the cages last summer, as TransLink was between pest control companies and didn’t maintain the cages itself in the meantime.
Ahmdz said the problem didn’t stopped there though.
Photos she said she took in March and May appear to show more dead pigeons inside the cages. And Ahmdz said after she complained to TransLink and the BC SPCA, small barriers were erected making it more difficult for her to see the birds.
“This is cruelty,” Ahmdz said.
The pest control company in charge of the cages disagrees. Atlas Pest And Wildlife Control has been working for TransLink since around November or December 2021, according to its president Raymond Arthurs. He readily admitted that they sometimes find pigeons dead inside the cages during their weekly checks, but said it’s not because of neglect on their part.
“Sometimes a hawk will get inside and kill them,” Arthurs said. “That’s kind of all natural.”
As for the barriers, Arthurs said they’re partially to stop people from tampering with the cages and partially to protect the birds from water dripping from the ceiling or other elements.
He said if the weather drops below zero, they leave the cages open as they know the water bowls inside will freeze over. They don’t have a system in place yet for hot weather, as they haven’t worked a summer for TransLink yet, Arthurs added.
He said he couldn’t comment on the exact number of pigeons that have died in his company’s cages. They keep weekly records of their activities, but Arthurs said only TransLink can decide who to provide them to. TransLink agreed to give them to Black Press Media, but said they weren’t available at the time of publication.
A move toward birth control Both emphasized that they are starting to move away from traps and towards birth control methods.
The BC SPCA pushed TransLink to pilot test OvoControl birth control in several stations for 18 months in 2019 and 2020 after similar complaints about trapped pigeons were brought forward.
BC SPCA chief scientific officer Sara Dubois said the results were exactly what they expected – the population stabilized. She said she was disappointed when TransLink chose not to continue with the long-term solution.
More than a year later though, Diakow said TransLink is now recommitting to the method and will have permanent OvoControl dispensers in some SkyTrain stations come summer.
TransLink also uses bird spikes, netting and low-charge electric strips to deter pigeons from roosting in stations. Diakow said their main concern is the potential for bacterial infections from the birds’ droppings, but that pigeons are also one of a number of animals that regularly set off TransLink’s highly sensitive intrusion alarms.
In 2021, Diakow said wildlife set off the alarms 544 times, resulting in between 12 and 20 hours of transit delays. He said it’s impossible to know how many pigeons alone were responsible for.
Feeding wildlife is feeding the problem
He and Dubois said a large part of the problem is people drawing the pigeons to the stations.
“There’s these regulars that always show up and feed the birds,” Diakow said.
Often times, he said they do so just off TransLink property, so staff can’t actually do anything about it.
Dubois said she’s hopeful Vancouver’s new bylaw banning feeding wildlife in city parks could help, though. She said she’d like to see TransLink work with bylaw on solutions.
Diakow said they’re looking into putting up signage at the stations.
READ ALSO: Unanimous approval for ban on feeding any wild animals in Vancouver parks
As for Ahmdz, she said she’d like to see Vancouver create pigeon aviaries as some cities in Europe have done. She said seeing the cages on her commute everyday is having a serious impact on her mental health.
“The entire day at work I have anxiety,” she said.
Her petition has been signed by more than 2,000 people as of Thursday afternoon.
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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at https://www.pigeonpatrol.ca/
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by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 8, 2024 | Bird Netting
WANATAH, Ind. — A fire at a northern Indiana facility has killed nearly 2,000 racing pigeons from around the world that were housed there for a race.
Hoosier Loft owners Jim and Kelly Ward say the fire swept through the loft late Saturday or early Sunday in the LaPorte County town of Wanatah, about 60 miles (96 kilometres) east of Chicago.
The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports the fire prematurely ended the 2019 Hoosier Classic Million Dollar One Loft Race by killing the birds ahead of Monday’s final race from Matthews, Missouri, back to Wanatah.
The Wards are organizers of the race, which is one of competitive pigeon racing’s premier events. They said on the race’s website that they’re “completely devastated” by the fire.
The couple says LaPorte County authorities are investigating the fire.
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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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at https://www.pigeonpatrol.ca/
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by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 8, 2024 | Bird Netting
2,000 Racing Pigeons Die In LaPorte County Loft Fire
EMILIE SYBERGFollow us on Twitter Find us on Facebook
Article origination WBAA-AM
Two thousand racing pigeons died in a fire at Hoosier Loft in LaPorte County Sunday. The fire destroyed the facility, seen here in a photo from the Hoosier Loft website taken before the fire. – Courtesy Hoosier Loft
Two thousand racing pigeons died in a fire at Hoosier Loft in LaPorte County Sunday. The fire destroyed the facility, seen here in a photo from the Hoosier Loft website taken before the fire.
Two thousand racing pigeons burned to death in a bird loft in LaPorte County early Sunday. The fire, which destroyed the facility, housed birds from around the world.
On their website, Hoosier Loft owners Jim and Kelly Ward say they are “heartbroken” about the fire, which effectively ended this year’s final weekend of the Hoosier Classic Million Dollar Race. They also combat claims from some breeders that the fire had been purposefully set.
“It is the 9/11 of pigeon racing in the world,” says Jim Gabler, an Illinois pigeon breeder.
Gabler estimates he had about 30 birds housed at Hoosier Loft during the blaze, and says he still thinks the Wards are trustworthy caregivers.
“I can only say they are the salt of the earth type of people that represent and protect our pigeons to the highest level possible,” Gabler says.
The racing pigeons were due to fly between Indiana and Missouri, with a half a million dollars going to the winning bird’s breeder.
The Wards say they are refunding race entry fees, and plan to host the race again in 2020.
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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at https://www.pigeonpatrol.ca/
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by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 8, 2024 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Law, Bird Netting, Bird Spike, Bird Spikes, Columbidae, Pigeon Spikes
At least one of the protesters’ claims is undeniably true. No one asked 2,000 pigeons if they wanted to have lights strapped to their legs in the name of art.
Nor did anyone ask the birds how they felt about being shooed from their homes at dusk and sent flying up to illuminate the Brooklyn sky.
But whether Duke Riley’s avian-powered performance piece “Fly by Night” constitutes pigeon abuse is a more complicated question.
More than 5,000 people have signed a change.org petition calling for the show, which opened May 7 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, to be closed. At Sunday’s performance, a gaggle of protesters — perhaps several dozen — gathered outside the Navy Yard gates.
Their charges: that the birds are terrified by the flapping plastic flag Mr. Riley waves to keep them flying; that it is unnatural to make pigeons fly at night, when they normally rest; and that between their poor night vision and the distractions of the moving lights, they could become disoriented and crash into the East River.
An artist, Duke Riley, has trained 2,000 pigeons to fly above the Brooklyn Navy Yard with tiny lights attached to their ankles in a performance that will run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through June 12. An artist, Duke Riley, has trained 2,000 pigeons to fly above the Brooklyn Navy Yard with tiny lights attached to their ankles in a performance that will run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through June 12.CreditCredit…Yousur Al-Hlou
“There’s plenty of ways to create beautiful art without using unwilling participants who are forced to perform,” said Nora Marino, who runs the Animal Cruelty Exposure Fund.
Mr. Riley has kept pigeons most of his adult life, and says the birds are not suffering and that they fly when he waves his trash-bag flag for the same reason a dog gets excited when you pull out your car keys. The birds are not forced to fly, Mr. Riley said — every night, some choose to stay in their coops.
The show’s critics say “Fly by Night” disregards the growing sentiment against performing animals. Ringling Bros. is retiring its circus elephants, SeaWorld its killer whales.
Before “Fly by Night” opened, the nonprofit arts group that organized it, Creative Time, asked the director of the Wild Bird Fund, Rita McMahon, to inspect. The fund, based on the Upper West Side, treats more than 2,000 sick and injured pigeons a year.
“Mixing art and animals is a very risky business,” said Ms. McMahon, who is a state-licensed wildlife rehabilitator, “but I was very impressed.” The pigeons were healthy and well fed, their temporary homes beautiful and clean.
“I didn’t see any traumatized pigeons,” she added. “You see them mating, courting, everything, all over the boat. I think that’s a pretty good sign.”
“Fly by Night” runs on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until June 12, and the protesters say they will be out every night for the rest of the run.
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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at https://www.pigeonpatrol.ca/
Bird Gone, Pigeon Gone, Pigeon problems, pigeon spikes, 1-877-4NO-BIRD, 4-S Gel, Bird Control, Pigeon Control, bird repellent, Bird Spikes, sonic bird repellent, stainless steel bird spikes, bird spikes Vancouver, Ultra Sonic Bird Control, Bird Netting, Plastic Bird Spikes, Canada bird spike deterrents, Pigeon Pests, B Gone Pigeon, Pigeon Patrol, pest controller, pest control operator, pest control technician, Pigeon Control Products, humane pigeon spikes, pigeon deterrents, pigeon traps, Pigeon repellents, Sound & Laser Deterrents, wildlife control, raccoon, skunk, squirrel deterrent, De-Fence Spikes, Dragons Den, 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 De-fence, Pigeon Nesting, Bird Droppings, Pigeon Dropping, woodpecker control, 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, Pigeon control, Bird deterrents, Pigeon deterrents, Bird control, solutions, Pigeon prevention, Pigeon repellent, Bird proofing, Pest bird management, Pigeon spikes, Bird netting, Humane bird control, Bird exclusion, Urban bird control, Anti-roosting devices, Pigeon removal, Bird barriers
by Pigeon Patrol | Mar 11, 2024 | Bird Spike, Pigeon Droppings, Pigeon Predators, Pigeons, Pigeons in the News, Raccoons
Wildlife rehabilitation calls for city to ban toxins that poison Saskatoon pigeons “Basically if you can imagine a bird having seizures,” said Jan Shadick, Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation executive director, describing a pigeon’s painful death after eating poisoned corn. “It’s an unfortunate way to die and it’s an unfortunate use of pigeon control methods within the city.”
The most common poison used is Avitrol. Shadick said she wants to see the city ban its use, or at least require the area it’s scattered around to be labelled, like when spraying pesticides. She said her wildlife rehabilitation sees hundreds of poisoned pigeons — and some other birds — a year, but they’re also seeing it punch up the food chain. “Dogs and cats have been demonstrated to have eaten these poison pigeons and died from it,” she said. “A crow would eat it, a raven would eat it, numerous birds would eat it and it was open to anybody who wanted a free lunch. A squirrel could get a hold of it,” explained owner Jason Hiltz. Instead, he said the company uses deterrents like nets and pigeon spikes.
Two years ago, the City of Saskatoon banned the use of poisoned corn according to Shadick, but only on city property. Shadick said it hasn’t made a difference. She said while most poisons to kill birds can only be bought by licensed professionals, some companies sell almost identical products to anyone online. “The money that people are currently spending on putting out poisoned corn could be spent putting out birth control corn,” she said, explaining using birth control is a more humane version of pigeon population control.
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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Canada’s top wholesaler for bird deterrent products for twelve consecutive years.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at https://www.pigeonpatrol.ca/
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