by johnnymarin | Feb 5, 2019 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
Pigeon droppings were a contributing factor to an infection which led to a child’s death at Scotland’s flagship hospital.
The child died at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and a post-mortem found that they had inhaled fungus which is primarily found in pigeon droppings.
Another patient was also infected but it is thought the infection did not contribute to their death.
Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said a review would be carried out in the design, build, handover and maintenance of the flagship hospital.
She told MSPs that traces of pigeon excrement had been found in a top floor room where there was a small crack in the wall which was “invisible to the naked eye”.
The hospital was built for the Scottish Government at a cost of £842 million and opened at the end of April 2015.
Despite the hospital having only recently been constructed, Ms Freeman said there appeared to be a “number of instances” where the fabric of building was “less than satisfactory”.
After visiting the hospital, the Scottish health secretary said: “I have agreed a review, with external expert advice, that will look at the design of the building, the commissioning of the work, the construction of the building, the handover of the building and the maintenance of the building, in order to ensure we identify where issues were raised that should have been addressed and where maintenance programmes now should be perhaps more robust or more frequent.”
Ms Freeman announced the review after setting out “clear factual points” on the two patient deaths to MSPs at Holyrood.
She said the Cryptococcus bacteria had initially been identified in one patient in November 2018 but was not linked to that person’s death the following month.
Ms Freeman added: “In December a post-mortem of a child who has passed away conformed that Cryptococcus was both present and a contributory factor in their death.”
She explained the second case triggered the introduction of additional infection control measures by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, including prescribing anti-fungal medication to “vulnerable patients” and the provision of additional air filters.
“I am confident the board have taken all the steps they should to ensure and maintain patient safety,” she said.
Labour health spokeswoman Monica Lennon said the public would be “shocked” to learn one of those who had died was a child as she claimed there had been a “complete lack of clarity” from the health board about the infection.
Ms Lennon said: “I think the people of Scotland will feel it is absolutely extraordinary that in a modern hospital, Scotland’s flagship and apparently super hospital no less, we have a situation where pigeons and infections can kill patients.
“If this unthinkable and deadly infection can happen at the flagship Queen Elizabeth, what is to stop it happening at other hospitals?”
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 johnnymarin | Feb 4, 2019 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
In just a few weeks, an Alberta man and a pigeon that showed up at his ranch have become inseparable.
Greg and Maureen Germscheid say the pigeon, which Greg calls Pidge, first flew onto their property last September.
“He looked so terrible when he came here,” Maureen Germscheid told CTV Edmonton.
Their concern grew through the fall, as Pidge continued to show up at the ranch near Entwistle, Alta. A few weeks ago, Greg decided to pick up the pigeon. When the bird didn’t resist or struggle, he says, a bond was formed.
The Germscheids soon found themselves amazed by Pidge’s quirks and seeming intelligence. The bird responds to mentions of its new name and seems eager to accompany Greg on his tractor and the occasional sleigh ride.
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 johnnymarin | Feb 3, 2019 | Pigeons in the News
Scott Coltart, 30, and his wife Lisa received a £158 fine despite Scott running out into the street in his boxers to show him the valid permit. He said: ‘If you just moved your head slightly, you could clearly see the permit was in date. ‘Regardless, I immediately wiped the poo away but the man said it was too late and gave us the ticket. ‘He was very rude as he slapped it on the windscreen and just said to take it up on appeal.’ The couple, who have two young children, immediately appealed the ticket with the appropriate evidence – showing their permit was valid. Blind veteran, 97, begs to be allowed to die at home They claimed they received a response which acknowledged the ‘unfortunate’ situation but the fine was upheld by Southend Council, Essex. Scott added: ‘Again, we thought this was ludicrous and vowed to fight it all the way to court. We appealed a second time even though we knew if we lost, the fine would increase.’ The couple, from Southend, claim they heard nothing and assumed they had won until an enforcement notice arrived demanding they pay £158. The letter warned that bailiffs would visit their home if the amount was not paid in full. Lisa added: ‘I immediately got in touch with a solicitor to sort it out but there’s no way that can be done before the sum has to be paid on January 22. ‘The only thing I can see we can do is pay it but we shouldn’t have to. We have two young children and we’re both self-employed. ‘We work so hard for our kids – we can’t have bailiffs coming to our home. Bird poo is not something we can control. ‘The fine says we had an invalid permit but that just isn’t true and our street is checked several times a day.’ A spokesman for Southend Council said: ‘We are currently discussing this claim with our contractor and will be in touch with the residents directly.’
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 johnnymarin | Feb 2, 2019 | Pigeons in the News
A chronic problem for spies operating in enemy territory is transmitting their findings to their home base. The problem was especially acute in World War II Europe, where German signal-detection technology, based on triangulation skills, took a deadly toll on agents.
The British spy services delved into history for their solution: The use of carrier pigeons to speed information from agent to headquarters. The story is told in a splendidly readable account by Gordon Corera, veteran national security correspondent for the BBC.
For reasons mysterious to us Yanks, the harboring of vast flocks of carrier pigeons is a national pastime for uncountable Brits, whose flocks number into the hundreds.
During the first months of the war, Britain’s chief intelligence arm, MI6, frantically sought information of whether — or when — German forces would sweep out of Europe and invade. Spymasters delved into antiquity for the answer. Noah had pigeons on his famed ark to send reports on flood waters; Julius Caesar used birds during his conquest of Gaul. Pigeons were widely used in World War I. Why not give birds a try?
Britain had two societies of pigeon fanciers that happily supplied the needed birds. For reasons that baffle botanists, homing pigeons have the knack of flying back to their home roosts, whatever the distance.
But could they manage the 100+ miles from Europe back to England? Test flights were successful.
Thus the procedure. Six birds were gently packed into a crate that was tied to a three-and-a-half-foot parachute. Attached to each crate was an envelope with a questionnaire about German installations (and, thoughtfully, a pencil and half-a-pound of pigeon food, to be doled out a cup daily). Return messages were inserted into a small cylinder attached to each bird’s leg.
Thus was hatched Operation Columba (“columba” being the Latin scientific term for pigeon), which despite occasional glitches proved valuable for British intelligence.
The immediate concern was a possible cross-channel invasion. So the first queries dealt with concentrations of German troops and equipment depots in Belgium that could be targeted for bombing.
Two days after the initial drop in April 1940, the first pigeon returned to its roost in Kent with exactly the information sought: The location of a munitions dump, a report on a German artillery movement and a note that enemy morale “is not too good.”
The swift return, followed by many others, answered a key question: Would persons in occupied areas risk their lives to answer the pigeon-borne queries? The response was overwhelming: Many citizens of both Belgium and France were disgusted with their leaders’ swift capitulation to the Germans, and wished to demonstrate their personal bravery.
In many instances, the pigeon messages were dispatched by a single individual — for instance, a farmer who found a parachute while making his morning rounds and scrawled what he knew before tossing the bird into the air.
There were notable examples of how Operation Columba inspired the formation of ad hoc resistance groups. Mr. Corera tells of a farmer who found a pigeon and decided to take it (hidden in a sack of potatoes) to a family he knew were patriots.
The three brothers and two sisters of the Debaillies family, although they hated the Germans, were divided. Two men felt the “risk was too great.” But they decided to contact a priest, Father Joseph Raskin, who had worked underground against the Germans in World War I, (being jailed twice) and was ready to resist again.
Raskin and friends went to work surveying German military activities in their area. A key item of information was that coastal defenses were being strengthened — a signal to British intelligence that the Germans were now preparing to defend against an invasion, rather than launch one of their own.
Raskin used a magnifying glass to ensure he crammed as much detail as possible onto two thin sheets of rice paper. His product is reproduced in the book. Once can only speculate the excitement with which intel analysts pored over the pages.
One page bore a symbol, a circle with a curley L sitting on a V, with “Our Shield!” scrawled alongside, a signal to watch for subsequent messages. The cell took the name “Leopold Vindictive” and send back uncountable messages.
The Germans, unsurprisingly, found enough pigeons to deduce what was going on and launched counter-measures: Falcons, a pigeon’s worst enemy. They also scattered their own pigeons, hoping to entrap resistance fighters.
Nonetheless, Operation Columba continued through D-Day and beyond, with pigeon-borne serving as messengers. There was a deadly price, of course: Of the 16,000 pigeons sent out, only 1 of 10 made it back alive. Perhaps a memorial statue is in order?
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 johnnymarin | Feb 1, 2019 | Bird Deterrent Products
When a scruffy pigeon first flew onto the Germscheid family ranch near Entwistle, Greg didn’t know what to think.
“He looked so terrible when he came here,” the rancher recalled of Sept. 19, when he first noticed the bird.
But three weeks ago, Greg extended a hand to the pigeon in friendship.
“I actually picked him up in both hands and he didn’t struggle,” Greg recalled.
It turns out—as pigeons go—the nicknamed ‘Pidge’ is somewhat remarkable.
“He just seems to have taken on a personality, you know?”
Now, Pidge comes when called, perches on Greg’s shoulder and goes for sleigh rides.
The two are nearly inseparable.
“Every morning, Greg gets up and says, ‘I better go see my Pidge, see how he’s doing,’” Maureen, Greg’s wife, told CTV News.
The Germscheids don’t know what makes Pidge so friendly or smart. They’ve wondered if pigeon sees them as parents, or if he came from a breeder.
Or—they’ve considered—Pidge is just an exceptional animal.
“There’s a little magic in everything, you know?” Greg asked.
The couple doesn’t cage Pidge, so he could leave as suddenly as he showed up. However, no matter what he chooses, Pidge will have friends among the Germscheids.
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)
