PiCAS INTERNATIONAL

Eleven pigeons fanciers from the USA face prison sentences after being charged with shooting, beating and suffocating dozens of protected hawks and falcons in an effort to protect their birds during racing events.  One of the accused even admitted spraying the falcons that he had caught in traps with bleach and ammonia.  The combination of these chemicals causes chlorine gas to be created so the falcons would have eventually died of suffocation after having experienced extreme pain for some considerable time before death. 

The charged men also admitted clubbing falcons to death in cages and shooting the birds with pellet guns.  Some of the men also admitted shooting hawks and falcons with shotguns.  One defendent even admitted to keeping a bucket full of talons cut from the hawks and falcons that he had trapped and slaughtered.

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Yet another instance of pigeons becoming trapped behind nylon netting installed as a bird exclusion device by pest control contractors.  This time the problem arose in the town of Visalia in California, USA.  Firefighters and animal control officers were called out to free trapped pigeons after a concerned member of the public called Valley Oak Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to report the incident.

Firefighters managed to free at least one trapped pigeon but it was clear that other pigeons had died having become entangled in or trapped behind the netting.  The netting was installed under the eaves of the post office to prevent pigeons from nesting and roosting. It is clear that the use of netting was entirely inappropriate in this case and had the property owner been advised to install a product such as anti-roosting spikes or wire mesh, instead of the nylon netting, the issue would have been resolved at considerably less cost to the post office and no distress to the pigeons.

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A regeneration group called Regenesis, based in the town of Leamington Spa, UK, opened a dovecote facility recently as part of a town-wide pigeon control system.  The impressive dovecote has already been dubbed ‘contraversial’ by the local media, only a week after its launch, with one local newspaper already suggesting that pigeons are uniterested in the cote.  The fact this type of control typically takes several months before it is regularly used by pigeons appears to have been ignored by the newspaper concerned.

The dovecote was recommended by PiCAS UK some years ago when Regenesis and PiCAS UK were working together to find a solution to the town’s perceived pigeon problem.  Unfortunately the two organisations are no longer working in partnership.  Although the PiCAS group normally recommends and supports this type of humane and effective control programme, in this case PiCAS UK has had little or nothing to do with the dovecote facility provided in the town and therefore cannot lend its name to the programme.

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An electronic bird scarer that was installed under a railway bridge in the town of Taunton, UK, by Network Rail to control pigeons is now to be re-assessed due to the fact that residents and passers by are becoming disturbed by the constant noise emitted by the device.

It appears that the device is having no effect whatsoever on the resident pigeons but is having a considerable effect on residents!  According to a local newspaper, Network rail has promised to "..change the noise to stop frightening passers by."

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