Pigeons need our help!

When Gitie and I set up WingedHearts.org, we wanted to keep everything positive, and try to work with those of you who also love animals as much as we do, to inspire others who haven't 'got it' yet, with our true stories of bird intelligence, emotion, and love. But an article in Maggie Wright's latest newsletter cannot be ingored, sad and negative though the subject is. (Maggie runs the maggiewright.net "See Animals Through Your Heart" site.) I cannot add anything to her words without losing my cool, so I simply reprint her article below:

Hello Everyone,

A few weeks ago I wrote to you about the plight of the pigeons.  There appears to be a trend among city councils to make it against the law to feed them ($1,000 fine), and so I guess the overall plan is to get rid of the little bit of Nature that is left in their “over-populated human” cities. 

The theory behind the no-feeding law is that if you don’t feed them, they will go somewhere else to find food.  That may be true with backyard feeding logic, but the pigeons in the cities do not appear to be leaving. The neighborhoods are their territories….their homes, and that’s what they know. 

In London where the no-feeding ban has already taken place, for example, they are starving, right in

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7138070.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2492711.stm

CHICAGO: Not only do they want to fine pigeon feeders $1,000, but they also want to put them in JAIL for six months.  The reason is so that the beautiful monuments of Chicago will not have fecal matter on them, and they want to protect public health although pigeons are not deemed to be one of their top health risks.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Quirks/2007/12/13/chicago_may_punish_pigeon_feeders/6840/

http://www.nbc5.com/politics/14845299/detail.html

http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=b5089a6a-d540-469c-af02-04d1f0654e9a

There also have been reports in NYC of illegal netting of pigeons and sending them to the remaining illegal pigeon shoots that still exist in Pennsylvania. Below is a link that describes what they go through in these illegal pigeon shoots.

http://network.bestfriends.org/legalanimal/news/8821.html

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0726,altman,76906,2.html

http://www.birdsandmore.com/newsEvents.html

The pigeons REALLY need our help!  When you have time, PLEASE speak up for these beautiful birds by contacting some of the Mayors and other government employees.  These beautiful creatures deserve humane treatment. 

Blessings,

Maggie-

www.MaggieWright.net