Victory! Pigeon Massacre Canceled

Posted at 04:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

greece / CC

People often hear about PETA's "big" victories for animals—such as how Donna Karan dropped fur from her collections—but that's just the tip of the iceberg. For instance, as a result of pressure from PETA, government officials in Ohio agreed to cancel plans to poison the pigeons who had made their homes near the county courthouse. The original plan was to serve up feeders full of poisoned birdseed to the unsuspecting pigeons. Messed up, right? Good thing we stepped in, because—thanks to our efforts—they'll be researching more humane methods.

The poison would have sent birds into convulsions, made them disoriented, and caused them to suffer for hours before dying. Poison is indiscriminate—any bird could ingest it. And the dead birds' bodies would also have posed a hazard to other animals, including cats, dogs, and birds of prey, who might consume them.

Not only is poisoning pigeons cruel, it doesn't even accomplish the long-term goal of getting rid of the population. Pigeons naturally maintain their numbers depending on the amount of food and space available. If 100 pigeons were poisoned, the surviving pigeons would breed more quickly to replace the dead members of their flock, which means that the population would actually increase over time. Case in point: These same officials had tried poisoning the flock in the past, only to find themselves with even more feathered friends in the long run.

Nonlethal methods of resolving conflicts with pigeons, such as Bird Barrier, are not only kinder but also more effective. Everybody wins!

Posted by Lianne Turner

Comments

This is the best news I've heard in a long time!!!

Posted by: Canaduck | January 28, 2009 04:30 PM

See I like this side of PETA. The PETA that sends letters saying whats fudged up in hopes that people will agree and won't do whats fudged up. :)

Posted by: Pepsi One is Fun | January 28, 2009 05:39 PM

Thank God someone is listening!

Posted by: MT | January 28, 2009 07:51 PM

Think of the wild birds this plan would have killed!

Posted by: kelly | January 28, 2009 11:02 PM

THANK YOU, PETA! Coo. From a distance and from a disinterested eye, pigeons may appear gray. But have you ever seen the dazzling colours in their feathers up close, when the sun glints on them? Stunning beauties these modest little birds.

Posted by: lynda downie | January 29, 2009 12:03 AM

That's fantastic!! Very happy to hear it! Go PETA!!

Posted by: Lauren | January 29, 2009 04:33 AM

Coo Coo Peta Coo

Posted by: roxanne | January 29, 2009 11:07 PM

You go Guys!!!!well done.Im a keen bird watcher & I put out seed everyday for the doves & pigeons.The absolute delight it brings is untold.I look forward to seeing them everyday & I feel almost "left behind" when they leave at night to go & roost.They are my little friends and yes they are beautiful.I even once took a dove with a broken wing to the vet to be humanely put to sleep.

Posted by: Debbie Barnes | January 30, 2009 02:52 AM

Great going PETA, someone needs to show these stuffed shirts the compassionate approach and the proper eco-friendly way. Poisoning a flock of sentient innocent birds just seems so wrong, heavy-handed and misplaced. Somewhere, somehow, someplace something is right with the world.

Posted by: vegancoin | January 30, 2009 11:50 AM

Way to go PETA! :D

Posted by: Nick | January 30, 2009 04:57 PM

Now this I can support! Way to go PETA. Pigeons are awesome. They really do have beautiful feathers, many colors. Some of them have those adorable bright red feet too. I cannot imagine how anyone could knowingly poison and animal and be ok with the suffering and death. We need to learn to share this earth with our animal friends, and deal with a little things like pigeon poop. This society has become so spoiled and self absorbed, that some people find the most natural of things to be inconveniences. People that find it so normal to just kill animals with no regard...those people make me sick.

Posted by: christina | January 30, 2009 07:49 PM

What do you propose to get rid of the annoying pigeons? I love animals, and because of you and a great project in Environmental Science, I have stopped eating chicken/beef (for the most part) and support anti-factoring farming endeavors. HOWEVER< I have seen how awful pigeons are at more than one apartment complex, and when you put spikes up, they can't land, but they'll find another place to sit and make a mess. They are right there w/rodents....

Posted by: Lisa | February 5, 2009 06:28 PM

We're just fortunate to be humans who have our 'mess' discreetly dealt with by sanitation and sewers. Pigeons don't have our luxury. Maybe we can show a little concern and respect for them and implement measures to take care of their 'mess' as well.

Posted by: lynda downie | February 7, 2009 10:12 PM