Strategic retreat is sometimes the best offense. Citizens of Hyderabad are doing just that as ballooning pigeon population has taken over the city. “We are shelling out ₹2,000 per apartment to get the netting done. As we have 90 apartments, we have bargained the price down to ₹ 9 per sq ft,” says G. Ravi Kiran, a resident of an apartment complex in Hyderguda. “We have been forced to go for the netting as almost all the surrounding apartments have fixed the mesh which has lead to a rise in the number of pigeons frequenting our apartment,” he says. While feeding places have multiplied throughout the city over the past few years, more and more pigeons are taking over unlikely roosting places. “We found a pair and a small chick on the V-junction of a drainage pipe. There was almost no nest except a few sticks,” says Nirmala K., who lives in an apartment complex in Rama Krishna Nagar.

This panic is turning out to be a money-spinner for a clutch of entrepreneurs who have created a business opportunity by covering balconies, ventilator shafts and common areas with pigeon netting. “We are using nets with 40 mm holes to keep out pigeons. The demand is high. We have already covered about 1,000 apartment blocks over the past two years,” says Maitresety Madhav, who took up netting business three years ago.

“If netting is with 1.5 mm thread, the guarantee is for three years and if it is 2.5 mm thread, we guarantee it for seven years,” informs Mr. Madhav.

“I worked in Bengaluru for two years and have set up my own operations in Hyderabad now. We have even covered a temple with pigeon netting,” says Salman Raju, who says the cost varies according to the thickness of the thread.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is caught out of the game, as the feeding spots have sprouted all over the city. From a traffic island at Ameerpet to a parking spot at Masab Tank to the disused Mussalam Jung Bridge in the old city, pigeon feeding spots have multiplied.

“We have put signages in bigger parks, but people still feed pigeons in smaller parks. We are trying to tell people not to stop feeding pigeons,” said an official from Urban Biodiversity wing of the GHMC.

 

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)

When a scruffy pigeon first flew onto the Germscheid family ranch near Entwistle, Greg didn’t know what to think.

“He looked so terrible when he came here,” the rancher recalled of Sept. 19, when he first noticed the bird.

But three weeks ago, Greg extended a hand to the pigeon in friendship.

“I actually picked him up in both hands and he didn’t struggle,” Greg recalled.

It turns out—as pigeons go—the nicknamed ‘Pidge’ is somewhat remarkable.

“He just seems to have taken on a personality, you know?”

Now, Pidge comes when called, perches on Greg’s shoulder and goes for sleigh rides.

The two are nearly inseparable.

“Every morning, Greg gets up and says, ‘I better go see my Pidge, see how he’s doing,’” Maureen, Greg’s wife, told CTV News.

The Germscheids don’t know what makes Pidge so friendly or smart. They’ve wondered if pigeon sees them as parents, or if he came from a breeder.

Or—they’ve considered—Pidge is just an exceptional animal.

“There’s a little magic in everything, you know?” Greg asked.

The couple doesn’t cage Pidge, so he could leave as suddenly as he showed up. However, no matter what he chooses, Pidge will have friends among the Germscheids.

 

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)

A former health secretary has called for an inquiry into the deaths of two hospital patients who contracted a rare infection linked to pigeon droppings. Alex Neil said the cause of the deaths and the handling of the cases by Scotland’s biggest health had to be looked into. The Cryptococcus infections have been linked to the excrement of birds that got into a non-public area at the flagship Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGCC) has launched a probe into the death of one patient, with the cause still to be determined. The health board said the second patient affected – who was elderly – died of an unrelated matter. The Scottish government confirmed the infection was reported in December. Mr Neil told BBC Scotland: “I think there has to be an outside inquiry by experts to find why this happened in the first place, secondly how it has been handled by the health board and, thirdly, what precautions need to be taken for the future.” The SNP MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, who was health secretary between 2012 and 2014, questioned why it took three weeks for the news to be made public. He added: “There are confusing messages coming out of the health board so they need to clarify the situation and do so as a matter of urgency.” “There are confusing messages coming out of the health board so they need to clarify the situation and do so as a matter of urgency” Alex Neil A non-public room, thought to contain machinery, has been identified as a likely source. Measures have been taken to keep pigeons out of the area while portable units that filter the air continuously have been installed. A Scottish government spokesman: “Our primary concern, and that of the Health Board, remains the safety and wellbeing of the patients and their families at the hospital. “There is an on-going review of two isolated cases of an unusual fungal infection within the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital site, which were detected in December 2018.” A spokesman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board said an investigation remains ongoing. “These two cases of infection were identified in December and an incident management team was formed. “A likely source was identified and dealt with immediately. “The small number of paediatric and adult patients who are vulnerable to this infection are receiving medication to prevent potential infection and this has proved effective. “Air sampling was carried out and HEPA filters were brought in on 10 January to specific areas before conclusive results were available. “Results identifying the organism were obtained on 16 January. “Early indications suggest the filters are having a positive effect. “The organism is harmless to the vast majority of people and rarely causes disease in humans. “We are unable to comment further on the two cases due to patient confidentiality.”

 

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)

Boomer has a new home and a flock to fly with.

The banded pigeon who had taken up temporary residence at the Silver Creek home of Debbie Marzoni in June is roosting and flying in Kamloops.

Arriving in Marzoni’s backyard in early summer, Boomer happily accepted food, settled into her greenhouse and followed her around as she worked in the garden, while keeping a wary eye out for her cats.

While the greenhouse was a suitable summer abode, in September Marzoni began worrying about how the pigeon would fare in winter. The band Boomer was wearing was outdated and untraceable.

As cooler weather approached, Marzoni acted on expert advice, including taking Boomer as far away as Vernon in the hopes the bird would file a new flight plan.

But Boomer found her way back to the Silver Creek greenhouse within a couple of days.

In late September, Marzoni began seeking more suitable accommodation and, following a story in the Observer, received offers of a new home.

The one Marzoni chose for Boomer, who turns out to be female, is Greg Wagner and his Doves Above Kamloops, located at his home near Thompson Rivers University.

Wagner and his pure white “doves” are released for special celebrations in the Kamloops area. Following their release, the birds fly back to their comfortable home.

“There are two types of doves; true doves don’t have a homing instinct,” he says, pointing out why he can’t actually use doves for his business. “These are pure white homing pigeons.”

Rather than feeling duped, Wagner says most people attending the celebrations are usually keenly interested in the birds.

Wagner, whose family lives in Salmon Arm, was made aware of Boomer’s need for a home in an email from his sister.

“Are you missing a bird? Do you want a bird?”

He met Boomer when he came home for Thanksgiving and has since introduced her to the flock.

“She’s doing fine; I kept her inside for almost two months,” he says, noting when he first let her out with another group of birds, Boomer flew up and looked around. “She stayed out for the first night, which is common; it has happened with other birds I’ve re-homed.”

Wagner says he thinks the reason the birds stay out for a night or so has to do with their homing instinct.

“Maybe they go away to reactivate the homing instinct,” he says. “but after a night out, I think she realized there was food and water here so she came back.”

Although she’s getting better at keeping up with the other birds, Wagner says he’s not sure Boomer has the greatest homing instinct.

“She’s a little bit off,” he says, noting homing pigeons can return home from 200 miles away or more. “A bird from Lethbridge was sold to a Vancouver owner but two or three days later turned up back in Lethbridge.”

While she may not become part of the flying business, Wagner has other plans for Boomer and a darker male pigeon in the flock.

He had no intentions of breeding the male – who had other ideas and has since bred with Boomer, so he plans to use them as surrogate parents.

He removed Boomer’s eggs, which she produced at the end of last week, and says, not only does he not plan to breed the amorous pair, this is not a good time to incubate eggs.

Laughingly Wagner notes, he removed Boomer’s eggs and replaced them with wooden ones he purchased on Amazon.

“After 10 or 12 days, they’ll abandon the wooden eggs.”

Next up for Wagner and Doves Above Kamloops is a bridal show at the end of January. He has previously been called upon to release birds at weddings, funerals and a special cross removal ceremony at a local church.

 

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)

A man has been left devastated after discovering three of his pigeons had been shot dead.

Sean Wardle, of Carlin How, made the grim discovery when he went to the allotments below Mount Pleasant on Tuesday afternoon to feed his birds

He told how he arrived at the site to find three of his Tumbler pigeons were dead after being shot.

The 49-year-old, who visits the allotments every day, says each of the birds had a “slug hole in the back of their neck”.

He said: “I’m devastated really.”

Self-employed Sean, who has had pigeons for over a decade, keeps the birds in a pigeon loft.

However he has had a number of previous issues – this was the second similar incident at the allotment in the last six months and in 2014 he  discovered four of his pigeons and four chickens dead after having their heads pulled off.

On Wednesday, Sean said he had reported the latest incident to the police but said they been out to see him and had not  phoned.

A spokeswoman for Cleveland Police said on Wednesday: “We’ve received the report, it came in yesterday just before 4pm.

“It will be recorded as a crime and someone will be in touch with Mr Wardle to take further details for investigation.

“Officers assess each call for the threat, risk and harm and have to prioritise incidents where the public are in immediate danger so that resources are used in cases where people are most at risk when the call comes in.

“Police resources are limited and we aren’t able to attend every call into us immediately, but officers will contact the caller as soon as they are able.”

 

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)

This is the bizarre moment a man feeds his two pet pigeons with seed held in his mouth.

In the video, the man is seen sitting on a stone with a pigeon on each shoulder.

The man then opens his mouth which is full of grain and lets the birds feed on it together.

The birds continue to feed on the grain until their hunger is satisfied.

The pet owner said: ”I am quite attached to my birds and I like to feed them from my mouth.

”If I put the grains on the ground they won’t eat, they will eat only from my mouth. After they are done eating, they fly away.”

 

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)

Cllr Yvonne O’Neill told a meeting of the town council: “Pigeon excrement is covering the streets in town and people are also leaving dog faeces.

“It’s just atrocious and not a good advert for the town. It’s something I would not want people visiting to see, let alone the locals. It’s not an easy problem to solve but I believe the pigeons and the mess they leave is becoming a public health hazard.

“There must be some way of dealing with this – perhaps pest control? They’re just flying rats.”

She was backed by Cardigan mayor Cllr John Adams-Lewis, who said: “We are working so hard to attract tourists to the town and it’s a terrible sight. When people leave here, you wonder if they would want to come back.

“I have spoken to someone in one of the shops and people walk into the shop with the mess on their shoes.

“I know many of the shops do clean outside their fronts but perhaps we now need to employ a full-time handy-person to help clean the streets? Maybe that’s the only way it is going to get done but how much would that cost on the precept?”

A letter was recently sent out by the town council to local businesses and shop owners asking them to clear overflowing guttering to help alleviate the problem.

“Until we sort that out we can forget the pigeons,” said Cllr Graham Evans, who personally hand-delivered the letters. “We have to get back to the traders and town centre partnership as we often don’t know who owns many of the buildings.”

 

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)

A pigeon perched on a water fountain near a New York City ferry was patiently waiting for someone like Steven Pesantez for help.

Thursday, Pesantez and Mariel Mitkowski noticed the bird at the Whitehall Ferry Terminal in Manhattan. It looked thirsty.

So, they thought it would be funny to offer the bird a drink. Pesantez walked over to the fountain. Mitkowski started recording.

Pesantez pushed the button for water. Surprisingly, the bird wasn’t scared away. Ecstatic about the fountain of water, it started drinking.

After about 20 seconds of bobbing in the fountain, the pigeon took flight.

“It was an awesome moment helping the little guy get some water,” Pesantez told USA TODAY.

This isn’t the only time a pigeon has been recorded looking for a drink at the terminal’s water fountains. In 2017, a video posted to Instagram showed two pigeons sitting in a fountain trying to get water.

New York’s Wild Bird Fund took to Twitter (naturally) to say it’s heard “credible reports that this is a regular phenomenon at the Staten Island ferry terminal fountains, not a one-time occurrence.”

While some commenters thought the act of kindness by Pesantez, AKA “pigeon boye”on Instagram, was “cute,” “incredible” and funny, others also were a little alarmed about the sanitation of the fountain.

If you get a little grit in your water, don’t be too alarmed. The New York City Health Department says pigeon droppings pose only “modest health risks.”

 

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)

An informal group of animal lovers have taken it upon themselves to help city-dwelling pigeons keep their feet clean. The group, known online as the “San Francisco Pigeons Stringfoot help” find flocks of pigeons and treat them for stringfoot, a condition that can deform the bird’s feet, while also working to break birds’ dependence on humans for food.

 

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)

Dozens of birds in New Zealand have been found dead or injured with Christmas decorations tied around them, prompting calls for anyone with information on who is behind the cruel attacks to come forward.

The Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(SPCA) said a number of sparrows and pigeons have been reported with “decorative trinkets” tied to them in the capital, Wellington.

Some of the animals died of starvation as they were unable to fly and find food, the SPCA said. The charity noted that while there had been similar incidents in the past, there has been a spike in sightings in recent weeks.

“Those that do survive and arrive at our centre are always in a very bad state, and are so malnourished and distressed that we have had to humanely euthanise them,” the SPCA’s spokesperson Paige Janssen told the BBC.

Janssen said there had been several reported cases of “decorated” birds since 2015 but the number of sightings had increased over the Christmas and New Year period.

“We received around 30 calls alone just over this period. They were multiple sightings of a dozen birds that are still mobile and flying around the Kilbirnie area that we are unable to reach,” she said.

On Wednesday a property was searched in an attempt to find the so-called Wellington sparrow killer and the local SPCA said it was looking for the suspect behind this “case of cruelty”. Last week it put out an appeal for information.

The SPCA general manager for the central region, Ros Alsford, told the New Zealand Herald that decorated pigeons were removed from the property on Wednesday, and brought to its hospital where they were given a check and had the trinkets removed.

She said the birds were incredibly distressed when first brought in but were fine now. “They were in OK health, the vets gave them a good health check. And once we removed the trinkets we sent them back to the property … The reason we did that is they were sitting on nests of eggs so we had to return them back to their nests.”

 

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)

Six ’emaciated’ pigeons were dumped in a box and abandoned by the side of the road.

One of the birds had already starved to death by the time the grim discovery – on Cherry Tree Drive in Hazel Grove, Stockport – was made on Saturday.

The other birds were so skinny that their bones were visible.

A resident found the pigeons at the side of her driveway and alerted the RSPCA after realising they were not in good health.

Inspector Heather Morris was sent to the scene and found the five surviving birds were very unwell. They were emaciated, lame, had pigeon pox and were very dirty.

They were taken to the RSPCA’s Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre where a vet assessed them and decided the kindest thing to do would be to put them to sleep to end their suffering.

Inspector Morris said: “It is really unusual to have pigeons abandoned and it was so sad to see them in such a sorry state.

“Whoever allowed to them to get like that would have known they were unwell and emaciated – that doesn’t happen overnight. Their bones were visible they were so thin.

“I believe they were in this box for 24 to 48 hours and during that time the starving birds were without food and water.

“It is so cruel to just dump animals like this, if they are ill they should be taken to the vets to be put out of their misery but not left to suffer a lingering death.”

She said one bird was ringed but the details were out of date. There was a name on the rings which read “Behrooz”.

The cardboard box was also distinctive with the words ‘Private Reserve Fries’ written on the side.

Inspector Morris added: “I would like to appeal to anyone who recognises the name on the ring or knows of this type of pigeon in the area to come forward.”

 

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)

Zee TV’s popular show Guddan… Tumse Na Ho Payega (Ved Raj’s Shoonya Square Productions) will see a cute track involving a pigeon who will become Guddan’s (Kanika Mann) pet and confidante in quick time.

As we know, Guddan has been given the responsibilities of the house and she has been careless at her job.

Soon, a pigeon will make an entry into the house and into Guddan’s heart. The pigeon will turn to be Guddan’s saviour whenever she would do a mistake. The pigeon will basically safeguard the house keys that Guddan handles.

As per a reliable source, “The pigeon will no doubt help Guddan but a few problems will also get created because of its presence. In one instance, it will dirty Akshat’s (Nishant Malkani) suit and this will anger him. And Guddan will be given the duty of cleaning it up in quick time.”

We hear that two cute pigeons have been given shelter on the set of Guddan Tumse Na Ho Payega for this particular track.

“They have become the centre of attraction on the set in quick time,” a source from the set says.

Aww!!

Are you all excited to see Guddan’s saviour the ‘khabootar’ in action?

 

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)

Bizarrely, the man explained that he was trying to use the birds as bait to recapture his pet owl, which had escaped. He was caught in a public area of woodland near Wakefield and had his children with him at the time. The air rifle was seized by police and the owner reported for firearms offences.

 

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)

Nuisance pigeons have ruffled a few feathers among diners at restaurants at Chatham Maritime.

And now site managers have chosen a humane way of getting rid of the pests – they have brought in a flying squad.

Trained falcons have proved successful in deterring the birds at Pier Five where there are a number of al fresco eateries.

The most common is the harris hawk, which are natural predators of pigeons and therefore their regular presence scares them away.

Chatham Maritime is home to several restaurants and with views across the water, is popular with diners wanting to sit outside and soak up the atmosphere.

But the food was also attracting birds looking for scraps.

Chatham Maritime Trustees have hired Rentokil Pest Control experts to eradicate the problem.

Rentokil’s operations manager Paul Catlin said: “The pigeons are a genuine problem for a number of the traders at Pier Five.

“A humane approach was the best way of dealing with them.

“Hawking represents a natural way to deter birds in urban areas without harm, while protecting visitors, residents and traders.”

The pigeons love of food has encouraged them to come into regular human contact, with some brazenly approaching customers around the marina area.

Rentokil has hired falconers to carry out the task.

Falconer Marc Bushell is a regular visitor with his hawk, Oliver.

The birds, which are trained at The Hawking Centre at Doddington, near Sittingbourne, protect landmarks and places of special interest throughout the south, including London.

Katie Kinnes, from Rentokil, said: “Hawking is becoming more and more popular and, with some areas being inaccessible, it is often the only way of resolving the nuisance.”

Liam Merrett, a supervisor at Pier Five and Kitchen, said it had proved quite a novelty see a falconer walking along the quayside with a hawk.

Mr Merrett said: “We are quite sheltered here and we have patio heaters, so our customers like to eat and drink out even in the winter months.

“It’s a nice setting looking out on to the marina.”

The regular presence of raptors alters the behaviour of pigeons and gulls, who learn to avoid areas where the birds of prey are frequently flown, moving on to nest or roost elsewhere.

 

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)

 

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)

A Somerset wildlife rescue has issued a strong warning about the danger of air guns after a pigeon was shot and seriously injured in Weston-super-Mare.

Staff at Secret World Wildlife Rescue, in East Huntspill, were left shocked and angry after they were forced to put down a pigeon which had been shot with an air gun on Remembrance Sunday (November 11).

When the pigeon arrived at the animal rescue centre, Sarah Tingvoll, Section Leader at Secret World, successfully removed the metal pellet from the bird’s wing, but made the tough decision to put the bird to sleep to prevent any further suffering.

“This is a very sad story but putting the bird to sleep was the right thing to do for its welfare,” Sarah said.

“We know most gun owners use their guns in a responsible way, but this horrific case should serve as a permanent reminder that the consequences of using a pellet or air gun irresponsibly can be deadly.”

Carrier pigeons played an important role in World War I and World War II and were used to send messages from the battlefield thanks to their speed, flying altitude and ability to make their way home.

Sarah added: “The fact that this bird fell victim to a gun shot on Remembrance Day makes this story even more heartbreaking and poignant.

“Carrier pigeons played a pivotal role in both world wars and their role is often overlooked.”

After World War II, 32 pigeons were awarded with the Dickin Medal – a medal used to honour the work of war animals.

 

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)

PARIS — They were messengers, spies and sentinels. They led cavalry charges, carried supplies to the front, comforted wounded soldiers and died by the millions during World War I.

Horses, mules, dogs, pigeons and even a baboon all were a vital — and for decades overlooked — part of the Allied war machine.

Researchers have been hard-pressed to find official accounts of the services rendered by animals during the Great War. But if their labors once were taken for granted, four-legged and winged warriors have been acknowledged more recently as unsung heroes.

France recently decided to recognize their wartime role. And in 2004, Britain installed a huge memorial on the edge of London’s Hyde Park to “all the animals that served, suffered and died alongside the British, Commonwealth and Allied forces in the wars and conflicts of the 20th century.”

Here’s a look at how they contributed.

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WHAT THEY DID

An estimated 10 million horses and mules, 100,000 dogs and 200,000 pigeons were enrolled in the war effort, according to Eric Baratay, a French historian specializing in the response of animals to the chaos, fear and smells of death in the mission that man thrust upon them.

World War I marked the start of industrial warfare, with tanks, trucks, aircraft and machine guns in action. But the growing sophistication of the instruments of death couldn’t match the dog tasked with finding the wounded, the horses and mules hauling munitions and food or the pigeons serving as telecommunications operators or even eyes, carrying “pigeongrams” or tiny cameras to record German positions.

“They were quasi-combatants,” said Serge Barcellini, comptroller general of the Armed Forces and head of Le Souvenir Francais — The French Memory — in a recent speech devoted to the role played by beasts of war.

Indeed, gas masks were fitted to the muzzles of four-legged warriors braving noxious battlefield fumes.

In France, as in Britain and elsewhere, horses and mules were requisitioned.

One typical sign posted in southern Paris ordered citizens to present their steeds and mules to the Requisition Committee by Nov. 14, 1914, or risk “prosecution by the military authority.” It was becoming clear there would be no quick end to the war that ground on for four more years.

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FEATHERED HEROES

Cher Ami, or Dear Friend, the carrier pigeon who wouldn’t quit, lived up to her name, saving the lives of 194 American troops of the “Lost Battalion” of the 77th Infantry Division, isolated behind enemy lines during the 1918 Meuse-Argonne offensive in eastern France.

About 550 men had held their ground against a far larger German force for days before coming under fire from American troops unaware the trapped soldiers weren’t the enemy.

On Oct. 4, Maj. Charles Whittlesey sent Cher Ami into the skies with a final message giving the U.S. battalion’s location, followed by a plea: “For heaven’s sake stop it.”

Cher Ami lost an eye and a leg from German gunfire, but kept flying, around 25 miles (40 kilometers) in about a half-hour, according to the United States World War One Centennial Commission. Survivors of the “Lost Battalion” returned to American lines four days later.

Another carrier pigeon named Vaillant, assigned to the French military, also performed extraordinary feats during the war.

On June 4, 1916, he was released into the sky with the desperate message, “He’s my last pigeon.”

French Commander Sylvain Eugene Raynal, encircled by Germans at the Fort de Vaux near Verdun, was counting on Vaillant to save his men.

The feisty bird flew through toxic gas and smoke, reaching the Verdun pigeon loft choked by fumes. With no help arriving despite Vaillant’s courageous effort, Raynal and his men surrendered three days later.

Both Cher Ami and Vaillant were awarded France’s Croix de Guerre, or War Cross.

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ROUND ‘EM UP

Horses are ancient warriors, but most of those conscripted during World War I weren’t war-ready. They died by the millions, from disease, exhaustion and enemy fire, forcing the French and British armies to turn to America to renew their supply. A veritable industry developed with more than half a million horses and mules shipped by boat to Europe by fall 1917, according to the American Battle Monuments Commission.

So important was the commerce that the Santa Fe Railroad named a station Drage, after British Lt. Col. F.B. Drage, the commander of the British Remount Commission in Lathrop, Missouri, a major stockyard for the future beasts of war.

“So the war business in horses and mules is good,” read an article in the December 1915 issue of The Santa Fe Magazine, for employees of the railway system. Good for the farmer, contractor, supplier and railroads, it said, but “not good for the animals.”

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SERVICE BY EXOTICS

Among the more exotic animals called into service was a baboon named Jackie, who served with the 1st South African Infantry Brigade in then British-occupied Egypt and later in the trenches in France and Belgium. His acute hearing and keen eyesight helped warn soldiers of enemy movement or possible attacks when he would screech and tug on their clothing.

Jackie was wounded in Flanders Fields when the South African brigade came under heavy shelling in April 1918 and his leg had to be amputated.

Lt. Col. R.N. Woodsend, of Britain’s Royal Medical Corps, described that procedure: “He lapped up the chloroform as if it had been whiskey, and was well under in a remarkably short time. It was a simple matter to amputate the leg with scissors.”

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DOGS OF WAR

Man’s best friend helped soldiers survive. Dogs served, firstly, as spotters of the wounded, learning to identify ally from enemy. They also served as sentinels, messengers, transporters and chasers of rats — the bane of the trenches along with lice and fleas. The French military created a service devoted to dogs of war in December 1915.

Less official, but crucial to soldiers’ morale, was the role of dogs and other creatures in the trenches, and as mascots. Stray dogs running from fighting were adopted as companions along with other animals, including a Royal Air Force fox mascot adopted by British pilots.

These dogs and other mascots helped soldiers “think of life … and the life they hoped to find again,” said Baratay, the French historian, in a speech last month in Paris.

 

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)

Representative image AHMEDABAD: A man and his son were beaten by three persons over an alleged theft of pigeons in the Madhavpura area of the city late on Monday night. The complainant, Gulzar Qureshi (51), and his son Arman (16) were sleeping at the terrace of their house in Rustam Mill’s Chawl in Madhavpura when three unknown persons rushed there and started asking why Qureshi’s son had stolen four of their pigeons. “The three persons abused and assaulted me while asking about their pigeons. On seeing me being beaten by them, my son Arman intervened but they then started beating him as well. During the fight, my son fell from the terrace and suffered a fracture in his leg,” said Qureshi. Qureshi then began shouting for help and as people from his neighbourhood gathered, the three men fled. Qureshi and his son were taken to Civil Hospital in Asarwa, where Arman was hospitalized. Madhavpura police lodged a complaint of assault, using abusive language, and abetment, against three unknown persons.

 

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)

 

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)