ChrisKten
It's true, I quite like Pigeons
I'm not sure if this will be of interest to others, but I suspect many people will be unaware of what happens to many Feral Pigeons; so I thought that I'd post it anyway.
A few years ago, I started a thread in another forum about this subject, but I've not started a thread about it here... until now. I was always wary of airing this here, even though it's a bird forum, as Pigeons are often treated like "flying rats" (with thanks to Ken Livingstone's Mayor of London Media Department for the now common expression) by many many "Bird Lovers" in this forum.
I've attached a few pictures to this thread; each is of an injured/maimed/disabled (not sure which word to use) Pigeon. These Pigeons were born healthy, and apart from missing feet/toes/leg, most still are healthy. You'll find lots of info online about this; lots of "causes" for these "deformities": "Their droppings are acidic and dissolve their feet" - "It's caused by a virus/Parasite/Disease" - "It's caused by bad Nutrition, as they eat the rubbish we discard" And IME, none of those "causes" are close to the truth.
I've about 60 Feral Pigeons in my garden each day; not always the same birds, but mostly the same birds (maybe 40 are daily visitors). Every so often (anything from 3 one day to one each month) a Pigeon shows up hobbled; it's feet and/or legs tangled-up in a fine nylon thread. Actually it's more like Wool than thread, but it's impossible to break without cutting it. So the affected Pigeon tries to walk, falls over, and the thread gets tighter. The thread also gets caught on twigs/leaves; so the Pigeon will build up a collection of leaves/twigs, and this mass is attached to the thread. This mass of leaves/twigs also helps the thread to tighten around the feet/toes of the Pigeon. Pecking at the thread or leaves does nothing; although sometimes it tightens the thread more.
So you have a bird that finds it increasingly painful to use it's legs; legs that birds use each time they take flight, walking is only half the problem. Eventually the thread becomes so tight that it cuts off the blood supply to what is below; so the feet/toes rot and eventually fall off (Quite disconcerting when it happens to a bird that's perched on my hand). Some of these Pigeons don't last that long, as infection can kill some of them. Others, being too slow to take off (hobbled, and in pain) are easy meat for Cats, and also late on getting out of the way of cars.
I've lost count of how many that I've caught and removed the thread from; I've also lost count of how many it was too late to help, as the damage had already been done. Often the thread is so tight that it's become part of the skin; you'd need to amputate to remove the thread.
So why does it keep happening? What is this fine nylon that Pigeons get tangled-up in? Is it just an unfortunate accident due to where they feed?
None of the above; apparently it's due to a type of Anti-roost Netting. The Pigeons that I see are the lucky ones; the unlucky ones died of starvation/dehydration while hanging from the netting that they got tangled-up in. I've no idea what, if any, alternatives there are to this Netting, but it seems like a rather cruel way of dealing with the problem.
I happen to like Pigeons, I admire their tenacity; their ability to survive no matter what we throw at them. But even if I hated Pigeons, I still wouldn't want them to be tortured. I would think that shooting the Pigeons would be more humane than this torture.
I should add that this type of netting isn't just used for Pigeons, it's used to deter other species too (Gulls, Starlings, etc)
Oh, the last picture is a female that's been visiting my garden for over six years. When she first appeared in the garden she had a foot that was tangled up to look more like a claw. I didn't catch her at the time, as I could see there was nothing I could do to help, and I didn't trust the Vet not to euthanase her. Gradually, the toes without a blood supply started to rot and drop off; eventually the whole foot rotted and dropped off, and she ended up like she is in the picture. I can't imagine the pain she must have felt, and the fear she must have felt whenever the other Pigeons spooked and flew off. She was always the last to leave, as I imagine the pain delayed her for just a second. She's mated many times over the years, and has actually just mated with a male that has just one toe left on one of his feet.
And yes, I've seen the whole process over time, of healthy bird to missing foot... some are just too difficult to catch, or have reached the stage where the Vet would euthanase them.
So next time you're feeling sorry for yourself (maybe you've a headache or a bit of a Cold), remember it's nothing compared to what could happen if you was a Pigeon.
Oh, and one other thing; do you remember the little old lady feeding the Pigeons in Marry Poppins? Singing "Feed the birds tupence a bag"? Have any of you heard of Cher Ami http://www.homeofheroes.com/wings/part1/3b_cherami.html What changed? How did we get from feeding the Pigeons to crippling them on a regular basis? Why isn't this cruelty?
A few years ago, I started a thread in another forum about this subject, but I've not started a thread about it here... until now. I was always wary of airing this here, even though it's a bird forum, as Pigeons are often treated like "flying rats" (with thanks to Ken Livingstone's Mayor of London Media Department for the now common expression) by many many "Bird Lovers" in this forum.
I've attached a few pictures to this thread; each is of an injured/maimed/disabled (not sure which word to use) Pigeon. These Pigeons were born healthy, and apart from missing feet/toes/leg, most still are healthy. You'll find lots of info online about this; lots of "causes" for these "deformities": "Their droppings are acidic and dissolve their feet" - "It's caused by a virus/Parasite/Disease" - "It's caused by bad Nutrition, as they eat the rubbish we discard" And IME, none of those "causes" are close to the truth.
I've about 60 Feral Pigeons in my garden each day; not always the same birds, but mostly the same birds (maybe 40 are daily visitors). Every so often (anything from 3 one day to one each month) a Pigeon shows up hobbled; it's feet and/or legs tangled-up in a fine nylon thread. Actually it's more like Wool than thread, but it's impossible to break without cutting it. So the affected Pigeon tries to walk, falls over, and the thread gets tighter. The thread also gets caught on twigs/leaves; so the Pigeon will build up a collection of leaves/twigs, and this mass is attached to the thread. This mass of leaves/twigs also helps the thread to tighten around the feet/toes of the Pigeon. Pecking at the thread or leaves does nothing; although sometimes it tightens the thread more.
So you have a bird that finds it increasingly painful to use it's legs; legs that birds use each time they take flight, walking is only half the problem. Eventually the thread becomes so tight that it cuts off the blood supply to what is below; so the feet/toes rot and eventually fall off (Quite disconcerting when it happens to a bird that's perched on my hand). Some of these Pigeons don't last that long, as infection can kill some of them. Others, being too slow to take off (hobbled, and in pain) are easy meat for Cats, and also late on getting out of the way of cars.
I've lost count of how many that I've caught and removed the thread from; I've also lost count of how many it was too late to help, as the damage had already been done. Often the thread is so tight that it's become part of the skin; you'd need to amputate to remove the thread.
So why does it keep happening? What is this fine nylon that Pigeons get tangled-up in? Is it just an unfortunate accident due to where they feed?
None of the above; apparently it's due to a type of Anti-roost Netting. The Pigeons that I see are the lucky ones; the unlucky ones died of starvation/dehydration while hanging from the netting that they got tangled-up in. I've no idea what, if any, alternatives there are to this Netting, but it seems like a rather cruel way of dealing with the problem.
I happen to like Pigeons, I admire their tenacity; their ability to survive no matter what we throw at them. But even if I hated Pigeons, I still wouldn't want them to be tortured. I would think that shooting the Pigeons would be more humane than this torture.
I should add that this type of netting isn't just used for Pigeons, it's used to deter other species too (Gulls, Starlings, etc)
Oh, the last picture is a female that's been visiting my garden for over six years. When she first appeared in the garden she had a foot that was tangled up to look more like a claw. I didn't catch her at the time, as I could see there was nothing I could do to help, and I didn't trust the Vet not to euthanase her. Gradually, the toes without a blood supply started to rot and drop off; eventually the whole foot rotted and dropped off, and she ended up like she is in the picture. I can't imagine the pain she must have felt, and the fear she must have felt whenever the other Pigeons spooked and flew off. She was always the last to leave, as I imagine the pain delayed her for just a second. She's mated many times over the years, and has actually just mated with a male that has just one toe left on one of his feet.
And yes, I've seen the whole process over time, of healthy bird to missing foot... some are just too difficult to catch, or have reached the stage where the Vet would euthanase them.
So next time you're feeling sorry for yourself (maybe you've a headache or a bit of a Cold), remember it's nothing compared to what could happen if you was a Pigeon.
Oh, and one other thing; do you remember the little old lady feeding the Pigeons in Marry Poppins? Singing "Feed the birds tupence a bag"? Have any of you heard of Cher Ami http://www.homeofheroes.com/wings/part1/3b_cherami.html What changed? How did we get from feeding the Pigeons to crippling them on a regular basis? Why isn't this cruelty?
