by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 13, 2016 | Animal Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes
What a police department does
It is a public expectation that the police will help citizens resolve the issues concerning them.
The Ontario Police Department, when receiving a call for service, a concern, or information, must objectively consider factors such as whether the issue fits within the scope of law enforcement duties, whether a concern is legitimate, and if there is any appropriate action that can be taken (to name a few).
The department also tries to take into account various circumstances bearing on any particular situation that might make it unique or that might justifiably change how it should be handled, all while striving to maintain fairness and objectivity.
In light of this, the Ontario Police Department, on behalf of the governing body and the citizens, is making the following public announcement.
The issue
Over the course of the last several months, multiple residents of the village have brought to the attention of the police department various concerns about cats throughout the village. It has become evident over time that there is a legitimate public interest regarding a substantial feral cat population within the village.
There are (conservatively estimated) 30-plus cats not appropriately cared for as pets within the village limits, as directly observed by police, and maybe many more,according to other estimates. The problems have included sick cats, including one that had diarrhea for months; cats leaving scat on private property/decks; cats digging in garbage; feral cats harassing pet cats (taking food, attacking and injuring the pet, etc.); and a cat severely biting a human; not to mention the various other annoyances any animal at large might pose, as you can well imagine.
Not least to mention is the warning given by veterinarians that an unmanaged feral cat population can become inbred, causing a low quality of life for the cats themselves. Of particular concern is the fact that a local veterinarian has documented two chronic, contagious, fatal diseases in cats from Ontario: feline leukemia and feline AIDS.
Why the police department is involved
This type of situation is not unique to Ontario, and various jurisdictions have unique ways of dealing with it. There is no animal control officer for cats in the village, many of the situations fall under village ordinances, the legitimacy of public concern has become obvious, and there is action that can be taken.
The Ontario Police Department is therefore acting in conjunction with other public officials and on behalf of the welfare of the public as it tries to address the situation comprehensively and efficiently.
How you can be a part
You can help! The most efficient way for the village to control the issue is with citizen cooperation, and we are asking for it now.
1) If you have a pet cat(s), please keep its location controlled (the same as you would a dog) and get it spayed or neutered. Unwanted kittens could potentially become part of a feral cat population.
2) If you don’t have a pet cat, please do not feed cats. Feeding stray cats contributes to,rather than alleviates, the problems. Consider the following clarification: Anyone feeding a cat regularly is claiming ownership under the village ordinances.
3) Take advantage of a low-cost cat clinic when it is offered in the village (watch the County Line for information on a clinic that will be offered later this spring). The clinic offers spay or neuter services at greatly reduced prices as well as vaccines.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 12, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeons in the News
Feathers are flying in Horncastle over calls from the town council for people to stop feeding the town’s ‘problem’ pigeons.
Councillors issued the appeal through the Horncastle News after expressing concerns about the damage and amount of mess the pigeons are causing.
They claim that people feeding birds are leading to an increase in the pigeon population.
Councillors have previously ruled out other suggestions to control the number of birds, including putting them on the pill or bringing in trained hawks to kill them.
The council was supported by the town’s History and Heritage Society and the local Federation of Small Businesses.
Some residents also backed the council but several others say the birds should be left alone.
And one pigeon – dubbed Percy by locals after taking up residence in the town centre – appears to have his very own fan club.
Pensioner Sylvia Petfield told the News: “I know the pigeons do cause damage to buildings but surely there are more important things to worry about in this town.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 11, 2016 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services
City of Wichita Falls staff said there are no easy solutions when it comes to the pigeon infestation under the overpasses along Broad and Holliday streets.
“It is an infestation, that’s the only word for it. Just like rats or mice, they can be a problem when we see them in the volume that there are on Broad and Holliday,” John Burrus, Director of Aviation and Transportation said Friday.
Burrus said the large number of pigeons that gather under the overpasses has been an ongoing problem for more than a decade.
First, the city asked the Texas Department of Transportation to address the issues. TxDOT told the city that they were not equipped to handle the problem, Burrus said.
The next step was city council approval, several years ago, for “Slinky-like devices” that were supposed to keep the birds out, but Burrus said they did not work at all. Then, Burrus said he had his welding crew members attach metal barriers along the underside of the overpasses.
“The barriers helped some, but it did not slow it (the gathering of birds) down at all,” he said.
After that attempt, Burrus said they backed off the issue for a while until there started to be an increase in bird strike reports at Wichita Falls Regional Airport.
A bird weighing just a few ounces can destroy a jet engine, so the city needed to address the bird problem for the safety of pilots and passengers.
The city and Sheppard Air Force Base regularly pair to divvy up areas of the city in an effort to control bird problems. The downtown Holliday/Broad area falls under the duties of the city, but there were still no departments equipped to handle the situation.
The city has about 35-40 metal cage traps that are baited and placed near trouble areas including Broad/Holliday area, near the Jasper Water Treatment Plant, Kickapoo Airport, and near the Regional Airport.
For a short time, the fleet maintenance department was setting traps, gathering the trapped birds and euthanizing them by hand.
Soon it was obvious that the task was more than they could handle along with their other duties. The health department and animal control services were both also asked to assist, but again said they were not equipped to handle the situation.
Because the pigeon problem affected air travel, the burden was placed on Burrus’ department.
He said they contracted with two different pest control companies, but had “bad experiences” with both companies not checking the traps regularly and several birds died of dehydration.
“That was unacceptable. I think we (the city) do a much better job that the private companies. It is a fine balance between humanely handling the birds until they are euthanized,” Burrus said.
The city teamed with a new company, Pond Pest Control out of Amarillo, about a year ago for the pigeon situation and Burrus said they have been great to work with.
The city fully cleans out the underpasses twice a year and Burrus said they have cleared out 18-inch thick layers of pigeon feces, dead birds and all manner of health hazards.
Other nuisance birds like cattle egrets and grackles can be scared away or relocated, but Burrus said the pigeons do not scare easily and come right back to their roosting area when shooed away.
“No one wants to do it (trap and euthanize the pigeons), but it’s a necessary part of the job. If we do not take care of it, there are going to be much larger problems at the airport.
A secondary issue, but still a huge, huge issues is the health problems where the birds drop feces,” Burrus said.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 10, 2016 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services
CARLSBAD N.M. (KRQE) – Saying their dirty and dangerous, a New Mexico town in cracking down on pigeons. Feed them and you can get in trouble.
People in the Cavern City say pigeons are everywhere.
“There are quite a few pigeons here around town and at the different businesses,” said Shayella Yarbrough, Carlsbad resident.
Now the city of Carlsbad has decided to take action. City council approved an ordinance that ban residents from feeding or providing environments that attract pigeons.
“It will help move them away from the city, move them out of the middle of this city. I get calls all the time about people wanting to know how to get rid of pigeons,” said Woods Houghton, Program Director for the Eddy County Extension Office.
The city says the ordinance will help eliminate some of the health risks associated with the bird’s droppings.
Also known as rock pigeons or rock doves, the city classifies them as birds not native to North America.
“They’re called trash birds because they communicate a lot of known diseases to both livestock and humans,” said Houghton.
Now people in Carlsbad caught feeding or harboring the birds could face fines up to $500 or even jail time but the city says it doesn’t want it to come to that. They just want people to stop making the birds feel so at home in Carlsbad
“You know in town it’s definitely a good thing to do, especially around restaurants, areas where there is food preparation for humans,” said Houghton.
A lot of people in town say they will be happy to see the birds gone. “It’s just really unsanitary and not really nice,” said Yarbrough.
The city also says people can still feed native birds and set up birdhouses just not for pigeons.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 9, 2016 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting
But the authority claims the note was delivered around the Palmer estate “in error”, and has launched an investigation into its “clearly inappropriate” content. The menacing letter, purporting to be from “quality assurance officer” Gassimu Jah, is littered with grammatical errors and orders residents to stop feeding pigeons due to a build-up of excrement on Littlefield Close and Greatfield Close. It reads: “Islington are not prepared to allow this kind of behaviour and will take steps to enforce the conditions of tenancy and covenant which may [sic] severe consequences including court action and could lead to injunction or the loss of your home. “Islington council have appointed a ‘professional witness’ to obtain video and hear say evidence to identify the culprits of this behaviour. No further warnings will be given regarding this issue.” But after being approached by the Gazette, a council spokesman said: “This letter was sent out in error and is clearly inappropriate. We are looking into how it went out and apologise for any upset. “We would only ever use a professional witness in instances where we believe serious crimes are happening or suspected, which is clearly not the case here.” Ryan Ross, who lives in Greatfield Close, told London24: “It seems strange it would say that they were delivered in error. They were hand delivered on Tuesday – I think the council is backtracking.” The 28-year-old added: “The council has delivered letters like this before, with a similar tone. It had a go at me once for not using a parking permit properly. “I never feed pigeons myself, so I didn’t feel particularly threatened by the letter. To be honest, I’ve never even noticed any pigeons around here. “What struck me most was the threat of spying. The people who feed pigeons tend to be elderly, so if this was real, it was targeted at them. Either way, it’s not something that makes you feel welcome.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
