jrcompton / CC

In cities all over the world, humans share sidewalks, windowsills, awnings, and patches of grass with pigeons. And while some people, businesses, and government officials aren't always nice to these amiable urbanites, pigeons have many defenders.

The New York Bird Club and pigeon fans are gearing up for the National Pigeon Day celebration on Saturday, June 13—and they want New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. to make an official proclamation.

A few quick facts: Pigeons are courageous and intelligent birds who mate for life, and both parents tend to their young. They are hardy birds—adept at dodging pedestrians, taxis, and the occasional hawk. No wonder so many humans are content to sit back and watch them during their lunch hours.

Please ask Mayor Bloomberg to officially declare this upcoming June 13 "National Pigeon Day." And if you'll be celebrating at Pilgrim Hill in NYC's Central Park, look for me. I'll be wearing my Pige Patrol T-shirt.

Posted by Karin Bennett

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

yahoo / CC

Move over bullfighting, hunting, and dogfighting—there's a new blood sport in town: Wimbledon Tennis. Yep, you read that correctly: The oldest tennis championship in the world—the home of manicured green grass courts and lily white uniforms—now has a blood-red body count. Don't go jumping to conclusions: It's not that PETA friend John McEnroe has unleashed his infamous temper on the court. No, the crime here is far more serious than a few choice expletives hurled at an intractable tournament official.

Hold on to your strawberries and (vegan) cream for this one—it seems that Wimbledon has hired sharpshooters to kill pigeons. And what crime did these pigeons commit to merit capital punishment? They pooped. More specifically, they pooped on some tables in an open-air restaurant frequented by media folks who cover Wimbledon matches. Now, I'm no expert in the area of pigeon control, but here's an idea: How about getting a few patio umbrellas? Call me Einstein, but I'd guess that my solution is a whole lot cheaper—in terms of money and lives.

And even if Wimbledon officials don't give a whit about compassion or public opinion, here's something else that they might consider: Their actions seem to be illegal, as in they're likely breaking the law. A U.K. law passed in 2006 prohibits "lethal control" of animals, except as a last resort. PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich had more than a few choice words for Wimbledon, but here are a few that we can print:

Since the use of marksmen to kill pigeons appears to have been carried out as a first, rather than a last resort, and not out of a concern for public health, but rather because the animals were deemed inconvenient by players, you appear to be in clear violation of the law.

Posted by Grace Friedan

Newsday/Creative Commons

The Cincinnati Bengals are going to have their hands full tonight taking on the unbeatable New England Patriots. But apparently the folks at Cincinnati's Paul Brown stadium are more concerned about pigeon droppings this week than they are about Tom Brady shredding their defense or Bill Belichick stealing their signs. In fact, the pigeon situation has gotten The Bengals so worked up that they sent a letter to the City Manager's office asking that they be allowed "to shoot pigeons at Paul Brown Stadium with an air actuated pellet rifle." I don't want to be too alarmist here, but if this is the way Cincinnati deals with all their problems, the Pats are going to have a lot more to worry about tonight than just Ocho Cinco.

As soon as we were tipped off to Bengal Stadium's cruel pigeon-control "solution," PETA sent an urgent letter to Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, asking the city to reject the Bengals' request and consider one of the many humane alternatives available instead. The good news is that the city immediately responded by telling Paul Brown Stadium's manager that he needs to get his finger off the trigger and start actually trying some sensible pigeon-control methods first. We're keeping our eye on the situation, and we’ve offered to help the team with developing some humane solutions to their problem that are actually going to work. I'll let you know how it all goes.