by johnnymarin | May 21, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
As Venice tries to reduce the impact of mass tourism, the city has banned the opening of any more takeaway food outlets for the next three years.
It is an attempt to reduce the number of tourists snacking on church steps, historic bridges and canal banks, spoiling the aesthetics of what should be one of the most romantic and refined cities in the world.
Eating in the streets and piazzas of the World Heritage attraction also produces litter and encourages unwelcome flocks of pigeons and seagulls.
Large herring gulls have been known to snatch food out of people’s hands. The Venetian authorities are now saying “basta” (enough) to new pizza outlets, kebab shops and street food stalls.
The regulation was approved by Luigi Brugnaro, the mayor of Venice, on Wednesday. It covers not only Venice but also the outlying islands of Murano and Burano, both of which are popular with visitors.
Murano is famed for its centuries-old tradition of glass-blowing and does a thriving trade in selling handmade ornaments, vases, bowls and even chandeliers.
Venice has struggled for years to impose a sense of decorum on its millions of visitors and takes a dim view of tourists holding impromptu picnics, jumping into canals and wandering around scantily dressed during the summer.
The city has a public information campaign called #EnjoyRespectVenezia, which calls for tourism that is “in harmony with the daily life of residents”. Visitors are asked to behave in a “responsible and respectful” manner.
“Steps of churches, bridges, wells, monuments and banks of canals are not picnic areas. Please use public gardens for this necessity,” the city advises.
Walking around in swimwear such as bikinis is forbidden, as is feeding the pigeons or standing around consuming food and drink in St Mark’s Square. An average of 60,000 tourists a day descend on Venice – more than its population.
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 johnnymarin | May 20, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Fossil remnants of a pigeon found on the South Island of New Zealand point out that this bird was related to the extinct dodo bird, as it has been published by academic sources. The researchers concluded that they’ve discovered a new species of pigeon.
Scientists uncovered the wing and waist bones of a specimen of what they’ve called the Zealandian dove (Deliaphaps zealandiensis) in the Otago region of South Island, according to a news release from the Canterbury Museum in New Zealand.
The investigations conducted by the New Zealand and Australian scientists, whose conclusions have been featured in the journal “Paleontology and Evolution of Birds”, showed that the wing bone is somewhat comparable to specimens of a species of birds in the Indo-Pacific basin.
These look-alike birds are the Manumea dove, Didunculus strigirostris, which is only found in Samoa, the New Guinea horned dove, Goura cristata, and the South-East Asian Nicobar dove, Caloenas nicobarica.
The newly discovered pigeon from New Zealand “is probably very similar to the Nicobar pigeon and is, therefore, a close relative of the famous dodo bird [now extinct],” explained the leading author of the research.
The “Zealandian dove” name of the new pigeon species unearthed in New Zealand makes reference to the nearly underwater continent of Zealand, known as Zealandia, a groundmass that is thought to have originated from the disappeared Gondwana supercontinent and from which it was separated 100 million years ago.
These pigeons, which inhabited an ecosystem of vegetation biodiversity and great fruitful trees, have most likely collapsed due to a “marked climatic cooling that occurred 14.2 to 13.8 million years ago”, explained Alan Tennyson from the New Zealand Museum.
The scientists are pretty sure that the new pigeon species, the Zealandian dove, is related to the extinct dodo bird but further studies in this regard may be needed.
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 johnnymarin | May 18, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Way back in 2006 I was contacted by multiple Yorketown business owners fed up with the escalating pigeon problem. During the following 12 months more than 1000 were professionally removed, including nests. Attention was also spent blocking roosting sites and notifying building owners to ensure numbers remained manageable.
It was at that time I discovered residents at two separate residential addresses in Yorketown which supply large amounts of food in the open and have purpose-built enclosed roosting cages for the birds overnight. I brought these two addresses to the attention of the council but no further action was taken. I could not remove the last 30 or so birds due directly to these sites.
In 2014, I was contacted as the birds had yet again built up to plague proportions. During the next 18 months 1150 were removed. At that time the two residents were still supplying the birds with food and shelter. This time I spoke directly with one of those involved but no changes were made.
To date the removal was funded by local businesses and the Yorketown Progress Association.
Disappointingly for the town, its residents and visitors moving forward, my services are no longer available as the root of the problem has not been rectified.
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 johnnymarin | May 15, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
So you thought that being a policeman only involves glamorous tasks like chasing smugglers? The cops working for the Carrier Pigeon Service in Cuttack would disagree. Their daily to-do list includes mopping pigeon droppings, feeding pigeons, changing their water — in general, looking after the precious birds in their keep round the clock.
It is a tedious job, true, but the cops have never complained over the last seven decades. Indeed, it is because of their efforts that the world’s only police-run pigeon messenger service still thrives. Last month, on Odiya New Year, a small fleet of pigeons flew with messages from Bhubaneswar to Cuttack, covering 25 km in an amazing 20 minutes.
The pigeon messenger service dates back to 1946, when World War II had just ended. During the war, the military had used trained pigeons to ferry messages. The Odisha police decided to preserve the legacy even after the war ended, using the pigeons to send messages to places which did not have either wireless or telephone links.
That involved maintaining a flock of Belgian Homers, best suited to act as messengers because of their homing skills. No matter where they are released, Homer pigeons, with their uncanny knack for identifying their loft, will find their way back home. What also helps is their sharp eyesight and unique body build, which reduces air resistance, enabling them to fly long distances. Homer pigeons can fly at an average speed of 70-80 km per hour and cover a distance of 250 km at a stretch, even at night and in inhospitable conditions.
The service was first introduced in the mountainous Koraput district and was soon expanded to cover 38 places: at one point, the Carrier Pigeon Service boasted of a 1,500-strong trained fleet. In 1982, when massive floods hit coastal Odisha, disrupting road connectivity for weeks, pigeons were the ones delivering messages. They were so much an integral part of the police administration that till 2010 it was mandatory for newly-recruited officers to clear a 10-mark test on pigeon service.
In April 1948, when Jawaharlal Nehru had visited Odisha, messages about his public meetings were delivered in advance by pigeons. Former President R. Venkataraman launched 300 pigeons as a gesture of peace during Cuttack’s millennium celebrations in 1989.
The service used to have three categories — static, boomerang and mobile. “Static was a one-way service put into use during floods and cyclones; boomerang was a two-way communication system between police stations in inaccessible areas; and mobile pigeons were carried by police units on the move and used for communicating with headquarters,” says B.N. Das, Superintendent of Police (Signal). Usually, pigeons were released in pairs to lessen the chances of their being stalked by hawks and kites.
Golak Behari Das, a retired sub-inspector of police, who spent more than half his service tenure with the famed pigeons, says, “In the 1980s, our carrier pigeons used to fly to remote areas affected by left-wing extremism where the wireless network had limited range. They were very effective.”
But what relevance could a pigeon messenger service have in these days of email and WhatsApp? Back in 2000, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India had expressed doubts about its relevance, deeming it a “wasteful expenditure” and recommending that it be wound up.
In response, intellectuals, conservationists and traditionalists in Odisha protested vehemently and demanded that at least a skeletal service be maintained for its heritage value. The State government stopped the service in March 2008, but about 150 pigeons continue to be maintained for ceremonial purposes in Cuttack and at the Police Training College in Angul. The service costs the exchequer about ₹1 lakh each year, and the sub-inspector and two constables employed in the service draw salaries from the government like any other police personnel.
The pigeon messengers have proved to be a charming anachronism. Intach has taken an interest in the service: the demo flight on New Year’s Day was an Intach initiative. “The survival of this service has been ensured by the dedicated men who run the police pigeon service,” says Amiya Bhusan Tripathy, former Director General of Police and the State Convener of Intach.
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 johnnymarin | May 14, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Stepping out in blistering hot this summer is an arduous task to do. Waves of heat directly hit your face like that from a furnace. And during a weather like this, my heart goes out to those who have to work under the direct sun and do their job with much commitment. Among them is the traffic police force, who are always at their feet, come sun or rain.
And one such traffic cop from Bengaluru was nursing a pigeon. In the picture that is being shared widely on social media, the official who is dressed in uniform can be seen holding a pigeon in his hand. According to the tweet, the traffic cop who was positioned at Commercial Street was helping the bird which was hurt with some water.
The tweet reads, “A good Samaritan cop of #NammaBengaluru helping out a hurt and thirsty pigeon in Commercial Street. He went on to feed it some water[sic].” The tweet was retweeted by Lokesh, a constable who coordinates the social media unit of the Bengaluru City Police. Tweeting he said, “What really matter is being kind to every kind not only mankind. [sic]”
While Bengaluru is known for its soothing weather, this summer did not spare the city either. The southern city is equally reeling in the sweltering heat with temperature touching 40 degree Celsius last month. We can too do our bit in helping birds live through the summer with a little effort. Try keeping a bowl of water in your balcony, near the window or anywhere from where birds can drink. Many sparrows and other small birds die in this harsh weather due to lack of availability of water to them.
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 johnnymarin | May 13, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Back in 2001 the then London Mayor Ken Livingstone announced his plans to reduce the number of pigeons in Trafalgar Square.
But not everyone was a fan of the idea. Animal rights group PETA argued the decision would “spell disaster for London’s pigeon population”.
It became a massive deal, with news of the pigeons’ plight even reaching the US.
Protests began and one advertising company saw the opportunity to join in and get some attention at the same time.
They sent people dressed as giant pigeons to hold up traffic near Trafalgar Square.
That must have got road users in a flap!
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)
