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Inter-state burglar held, items worth Rs 8L seized

Bengaluru: Mahalakshmi Layout police have arrested a 39-year-old inter-state thief who used to burgle houses during daytime on the pretext of searching for pigeons. Stolen valuables worth Rs 8 lakh have been recovered from him. The arrested is Manjunath alias Parivala Manja, a resident of Kurubarahalli and native of Vellore. Police sources said Manja has been operating in Bengaluru and other cities for the past 15 years and has been arrested several times in the past. On getting released from jail, he would continue to burgle houses. Police said Manja was into pigeon rearing and racing. He would go around different localities on the pretext of flying or racing birds and would identify locked houses. When questioned by neighbours or passersby, he would claim that he was searching for pigeons. Police said he would shift houses frequently to avoid the police dragnet. Duo held for stealing bikes Two men have been arrested for allegedly stealing high-end bikes. The arrested are Mohammed Umrez Pasha, a resident of Shivajinagar and Zaheer Alam, 35, a resident of RT Nagar. According to police, Pasha recently quit his job as a software professional in a multinational firm. He befriended Zaheer Alam and decided to steal bikes. The duo stole three KTM Duke bikes in 15 days. However, their luck ran out when cops swooped down on them in the guise of potential customers.

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No incriminating evidence at Wellington house where decorated pigeons were found

A search of a Wellington property where groups of intricately decorated pigeons were found has turned up no evidence to suggest the residents are behind the bizarre abuse.

The pigeons were found in an open aviary in Kilbirnie decorated with tinsel, trinkets, and paint, during an investigation into the spiking number of birds dying or becoming seriously injured by such decorations.

But it appears the mystery decorator is still at large after the SPCA carried out a search warrant at the property and found no evidence that the house’s occupants had harmed the birds themselves.

“The search warrant found no incriminating evidence that the occupants were responsible for capturing the birds, decorating, and releasing them,” an SPCA spokesperson said in a statement.

“The owners have an open aviary with homing pigeons, and the birds found there last week have also been victim to whoever is decorating birds in the Kilbirnie area.”

The seven decorated pigeons were found at the aviary shortly after the antics of the bird decorator reached news headlines. Prior to the discovery, other birds such as sparrows had been found with tinsel wrapped around them.

Many of the sparrows had died as the decorations stopped them from being able to eat or drink

Since 2015, SPCA’s Wellington Centre have had 30 cases of birds arriving at the centre either dead, or with injuries so severe they have had to be euthanised.

Decorations were removed from the pigeons by SPCA’s veterinary team, and they each underwent a full vet examination.

SPCA’s inspectors will continue to investigate the case, and are calling on Kilbirnie residents to help.

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A girl is seen feeding pigeons – dressed as a pigeon

AN art student has gone viral after footage emerged of her feeding pigeons – dressed as a pigeon.

The Dundee University student Niamh Fenton, says the act is part of her art project as a video of her feeding the creatures wearing a long beak emerged on social media.

Niamh was filmed outside St Mary’s Church next to the Overgate shopping complex in the city centre of Dundee perched on a low stone wall above a group of hungry birds.

The 18-year-old “pigeon girl” says she is “overwhelmed” by the response to her video and has released several other pictures of herself that were part of her project.

Niamh, from Dunblane, is seen wearing a grey hoodie and a type of skirt made from grey feathers, takes bread from an orange bag.

The video was posted by her friend onto the ‘snap map’ tool on Snapchat and then uploaded to Twitter on Tuesday.

The clip was then posted by @euanlean and has since gone viral.

Niamh dressed up as a pigeon for an art project

He captioned the post: “What the f*** is going on in Dundee?”

The video now has more than 150,000 views and multiple comments from confused Twitter users.

Emily Ryan said: “Ahahaha holy s***.”

@SmithNatalie260 commented: “Hahahaha wow.”

The video of her feeding pigeons as a pigeon went viral

@itsthatzoe said: “I honestly feel like I see weird videos near the city centre all the time hahaha.”

@officialfergus commented: “Wit? Just feedin the birds?

Since the video was posted, Niamh has also released several pictures of herself in different locations around Dundee dressed as a pigeon.

She has posted on image of herself on Instagram on a ledge with the caption: “I’m the pigeon girl.”

Niamh goes to Dundee University

Her post also attracted a few comments.

Instagram user aieshaholly said: “You’re insane.”

Another user said: “Amazing. I am in awe.”

Another Instagram user said: “Iconic.”

Speaking today, pigeon woman Niamh revealed that her avian impersonation was part of an “art project”.

Her project focuses on the problems we associate pigeons within our society

Studying at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, part of Dundee University, she explained: “My project was on pigeons and the problems associated with them, people’s views and opinions.

“I realised that they can be related to the homeless community as they used to be celebrated war birds but are now bearly surviving in a city format.”

Niamh, from Dunblane, also explained her inspiration for the act.

Niamh said she was inspired by artist Edwina Ashton, a London-based artist known for her videos which feature animals.

Niamh was inspired by London based artist Edwina Ashton

She said: “I went into town as a pigeon to see the public’s reaction to a humanoid pigeon. I am frankly overwhelmed how this got out and how it exploded.”

This is not the first time pigeons have gone viral in Dundee.

Earlier this year, bizarre footage of lads spurring on randy pigeons to have sex surfaced on social media.

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Bird rescue trying to find person who’s poisoning pigeons in Union County

The Carolina Waterfowl Rescue is trying to figure out who is poisoning pigeons at a shopping center in Union County.

The organization posted a video on Facebook showing the disturbing effects on one of the birds believed to have eaten poisoned corn at the Wesley Chapel Shopping Center.

“Flushed his stomach essentially got all the poisoned feed out,” said Bayleigh Machaffie with Carolina Waterfowl Rescue.

So far, four birds have been brought to the rescue, most too sick to help.

“So basically when birds ingest the poison seeds, they’re able to fly around a little bit before they start seeing symptoms of the poisoning. So they can get a little ways, but they come from the same intersection,” Machaffie said.

The rescue said the seed is a legal remedy to scare off unwanted birds. But if too much is eaten, it can prove fatal, not just in pigeons, but other pets, even children.

“It’s not good just to have it lying around,” said Machaffie.

Carolina Waterfowl Rescue does not know who is spreading the potentially fatal feed, but the hope is the person will see this story and stop.

“Any animal that is mistreated I don’t think is right,” said Machaffie. “They’re not doing anything to you, like anything bad to you.”

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Health concerns over Blenheim Road pigeon infestation

A pigeon infestation has left an elderly couple afraid to use their own garden and has prompted health concerns.

The pigeons have nested in solar panels on Lydia and Frederick Fox’s roof in Blenheim Road, Pinkneys Green, leaving the patio, fence, bins and garden umbrella covered in droppings.

Eggs and chicks that have fallen from the nests also lie on the ground, but the couple have struggled to find anyone who will deal with the problem.

The pair have lived in the road for 49 years and kept their home ‘immaculate’ but say they cannot go into their garden for fear of being covered in droppings.

Lydia, 81, said: “We can’t sit in our garden. The only time I go out is if my husband takes me out in the car – and that’s unacceptable if you have your own garden.”

Lydia, who is disabled, walks with a stick and has dressings on her leg ulcers changed once a week, is at her wits’ end.

“I shall go stir crazy if I have to wait in this house,” she said.

The solar panels that the birds are nesting in were installed about six years ago by housing association Housing Solutions to reduce heating costs.

Lydia said her neighbours Leslie Bird and Denise French also have the panels and are equally affected.

She believes the pigeons were displaced after a local pigeon fancier had his loft sealed.

The pigeons moved in at the start of the year. Since then Lydia has sought the aid of various organisations.

She said the Royal Borough has not taken any steps to help and added: “They said they were a protected species but what about us?”

She said she was told by an environmental health employee that ‘I don’t really know what to do about pigeons’ and a pest control company said it could not do anything because the panels belonged to the council.

Lydia said Housing Solutions suggested netting but she has seen no action.

She added the noise the birds create is also ‘unbelievable’ and their presence is affecting their health.

Scared that the pigeon droppings are contaminating the water tank in their roof, they are only using mouthwash to brush their teeth.

Lydia and Denise also have persistent chest infections and Frederick has an eye infection.

She also believes the situation has triggered one of Denise’s daughters to use an inhaler.

Lydia said: “Everybody can smell it; it’s just in the air. We’re breathing it in all the time.”

She added: “If we were to move out tomorrow, Housing Solutions would get rid of them for new residents.”

Housing Solutions and the Royal Borough were unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.

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Brent landlord who failed to deal with ‘cooing’ pigeons nesting in roof fined more than £31,000

A Brent landlord who failed to deal with noisy pigeons nesting at one of its properties has been hit with a hefty fine.

A couple disturbed by pigeons whose cooing woke them at 4am every morning were awarded £7,638 in compensation after their landlord failed to deal with the issue.

Brent Council inspected the second-floor flat in Burton Road, Kilburn following a complaint about the pigeon infested loft and a water leak in the property’s ceiling was lodged by tenants in May last year.

Landlord Adilsons Property Limited of made some repairs but was ordered to pay £31,026 after failing to comply with follow-up notices issued by the council.

A trial at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on March 20 found Adilsons Property Limited of Cricklewood Broadway, Wembley, guilty of failing to comply with an improvement notice.

The company was fined £12,200 and ordered to pay £5,648 in costs as well as a victim surcharge of £170.

The property’s manager, Aamir Sultan was also fined £6,100 and the two tenants were awarded £7,638 in compensation.

Spencer Randolph, Head of Private Housing Services, said: “Landlords are expected to maintain the properties that they rent out.

“Tenants in the private rented sector have a legal right to decent living conditions.

“We will prosecute landlords and letting agencies that fail to comply with improvement notices. This landlord had plenty of opportunities to carry out the repairs but ignored our requests.”

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Bird love

Every day, at sun rise, A. Prasanna heads to the terrace to feed a flock of pigeons. He scatters millets from a bowl, held in his left hand. “Every week, I spend nearly 50 kilos of millets for feeding the pigeons.” Prasanna, a resident of Sathasivam Nagar in Madipakkam, says, “Every day, around 6.30 a.m., I feed the pigeons. If I am unwell or out of station, my wife and son and daughter — A. P. Priyadarshini, P. Anirudh and P. Harini — feed the pigeons.” On an average, more than 200 pigeons gather every day at our terrace. He began feeding the pigeons two years ago. Besides pigeons, a good number of squirrels have also started visiting Prasanna’s terrace.

“I started this practice after I watched a video that was circulated on WhatApp. It showed a resident of Royapettah feeding parakeets on his terrace every day,” he says, adding, “ I also feed cows and stray dogs with bananas, sesbania grandiflora (Agathi Keerai) and biscuits and help poor people by buying them food.”

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‘Bird brain’ arrested after he reported intruders on roof which were pigeons

A MAN rang police to report intruders on his roof – only to discover the unwanted guests were in fact pigeons.

Police were called to Egerton Court on Barrow Island this morning after a 20-year-old male resident reported that someone was attempting to gain access to his flat.

When police arrived, it turned out the noise he was hearing from his roof was in fact caused by pigeons.

However, police then realised the man was wanted and subject to a warrant for allegedly breaching a community order, and so he was arrested and taken to Barrow Police Station.

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London’s Pigeon Problem has a Simple Solution: a Hawk

Fifteen years ago, the center of London was densely populated — not just with people, but also with birds. Particularly pigeons.

Huge flocks of them would fill the capital’s parks and squares. But something has changed. The pigeons are gone. One reason for the pigeon decline can be seen in Trafalgar Square at 7 a.m. every weekday.

Not far from Big Ben, the square is the very center of the city. Even early in the day it bustles with commuters, tourists and school parties. But among all that activity there is a hunter on the loose. A silent killer. One who watches over every movement — from the National Gallery on the north side to Charing Cross Station on the south. Up close to him, you notice powerful shoulders, a penetrating gaze — and also a tendency to twist his head around to the back looking for prey.

That hunter’s name is Lemmy, and he is a Harris’s hawk.

Lemmy is employed by the Greater London Authority to ensure that places like Trafalgar Square remain free of pigeons, and therefore free of their waste. He works in a team: his handler, Paul Picknell, is employed by Hawkforce, one of London’s leading avian security firms.

Speaking to Picknell, there is no mistaking his love for his work buddy. “He’s a work colleague, he’s a friend. [But he is] essentially a wild animal. Never tame. In amongst all these people — he’ll totally ignore everybody apart from me,” he says. “It’s almost a telepathetic communication.”

Until the early 2000s, pigeons ruled Trafalgar Square and other open spaces in the center of London. You could buy food to feed them. Even Mary Poppins had a song advising Londoners to feed the birds.

Things changed in 2003, when the mayor of London declared war on the birds. So many pigeons produced a lot of … waste. And that’s not hygienic.

The pigeon feed stall was closed. If Mary Poppins tried to feed the birds now, she would be hit with a fine. But a humane and natural way to move the pigeons on was needed. And that’s where Picknell and Lemmy come in.

As Picknell is talking, Lemmy suddenly gags and vomits up a small oily lump of yellowish paste onto the sidewalk. Picknell is relieved. “Oh. That’s what we’re waiting for,” he says. “That’s the cast. It’s basically beaks, the feathers, the claws of the food he had yesterday that he can’t digest.”

He picks it up and rubs it carefully between his fingers for a diagnosis. It crumbles under his thumbnail. “That one’s quite normal looking. Nothing wrong with this bird. He’s ready to go now.”

Although Harris’s hawks do hunt birds like pigeons, the idea is not for Lemmy to kill while on duty. He is fed exclusively from a small plastic box of raw chicken scraps. Picknell takes a large handful and fills his pocket with these snacks at the start of every shift.

Instead, the idea is to use Lemmy’s presence to deter and intimidate pigeons. “It’s a visual thing. It’s a presence,” says Picknell. “The pigeons are aware there’s a bird of prey — there’s predator around, therefore they stay away.”

There’s an air of “The Sopranos” when Picknell describes the effect Lemmy’s presence has on pigeons. “I suppose he does intimidate them,” he says. “The big kid’s around. Keep yourself to yourself. Stay out the way.”

Unlike other forms of pest control, such as poisoning or shooting, the use of hawks is environmentally friendly and ultimately humane. It is also popular: Picknell and Limmy are constantly pestered for selfies. Some hawks like the attention more than others, Picknell says. Lemmy is not too keen on having his feathers ruffled.

There was some backlash at first — a renegade pro-pigeon activist group is still rumored to carry out vigilante bread distributions somewhere nearby — but the square today is much cleaner. And almost completely free of pigeons.

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Pigeon buffs vaccinate birds ahead of racing season

BEIJING: Guarding against avian flu, which has forced a mass cull of birds in China, pigeon fancier Wang Jincang paid out nearly US$400 (RM1,760) to get his 200 racing pigeons vaccinated and fortified for the onset of the spring racing season.

“I normally choose imported medicine, which is several times more expensive than some local brands,” Wang said as he lined up to enter birds for contests that begin this month.

The cost of vaccination is small change compared with how much pigeon enthusiasts pay to buy prized breeds.

An egg can cost a few hundred dollars, while the price for a full-grown bird with a coveted bloodline can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In 2013, a Chinese businessman paid €310,000 (RM1.48mil) for a Belgian-bred racing pigeon, whereas local birds can be bought for less than US$100 (RM440).

Wang does not want to say how much he has invested in his birds, though he spends almost US$1,500 (RM6,600) a month looking after their health, and describes his pastime as wagering time and money.

“Pigeon racing is essentially gambling. We are betting our time and fortune on the birds, similar to horse-betting,” Wang said.

Any form of gambling is banned in China, but pigeon races, which are flown over hundreds of kilometres, fall under the grey category of social sports.

Prize money has been rising. A club in Beijing is set to award 70 million yuan (RM44mil) in total prize money at its autumn championship. — Reuters

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Dramatic attack by hawk on pigeon stops college clock

High above Cambridge’s Trinity College, a hawk has swooped on the hapless bird as it perches on the college clock.

But the bird of prey got stuck behind the giant minute hand as it ticked towards 4.30pm – halting the century-old timepiece for more than three minutes.

Cambridge University engineering expert Dr Hugh Hunt, a fellow at Trinity, spotted the attack and posted pictures of it on Facebook.

He said: “Hawk eating pigeon on my clock dial, oblivious of looming minute hand. Will probably stop the clock.”

It did. College members who look after the pendulum-driven machinery later said on the Trinity website: “Quinn the Harris Hawk ate a pigeon and got stuck behind the minute hand, causing a 186-second stoppage.”

Several members were deployed to reset the clock and do “a top-up wind.”

Later Dr Hunt posted a diagram showing how the clock’s pendulum was affected, captioning it: “The amplitude of swing of the pendulum from yesterday afternoon. Definitely disturbed by the carnage.”

The clock is housed in one of the oldest buildings in Trinity, King Edward’s Gate, originally the entrance to King’s Hall, which joined with Michaelhouse in the 16th century to become Trinity, then called the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity.

The current clock was installed in 1910, and is unusual in that it chimes the hour twice.

The first chime is a low note, and is called the Trinity Chime, and the second is a higher one, the St John’s Chime. William Wordsworth, a St John’s alumnus, mentioned it in his 1850 poem The Prelude:

“Near me hung Trinity’s loquacious clock,

Who never let the quarters, night or day,

Slip by him unproclaimed, and told the hours

Twice over with a male and female voice.”

Birds of prey have been visiting Cambridge’s high towers and spires regularly. In the past few years, peregrine falcons have been seen nesting on top of the University Library and other tall buildings.

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Southwark and Hackney spend the most on ridding streets of pigeons

London boroughs spend the most to rid their streets of pigeons and gulls of anywhere in the country, it has been revealed.

Council spending on bird control across England has almost doubled over the last three years, new research shows.

The Borough of Southwark spent by far the most on bird control compared to other English councils, forking out £393,000 since 2013.

The next biggest spender was the Borough of Hackney which spent £162,000.

The third was the Greater London Authority which spent £137,000 on pigeon-proofing.

Analysis of data provided by the two thirds of English councils which responded to the BBC’s Freedom of Information (FOI) request, found that overall spending rose from £452,000 in 2013-14 to £830,000 in 2015-16.

Most councils said they used spikes on buildings to deter pigeons and gulls from landing, others said they used hawks or trained marksman to control bird numbers.

The British Pest Control Association told the BBC they thought the increase in spending might be due to the greater understanding of the diseases carried by the birds.

Experts warn that while pigeon-proofing may be the most humane way to control bird populations it may just move the problem elsewhere, as they simply move to an adjacent building or street.

But the Royal Society of the Protection of Birds said it “would always advocate non-lethal measures in the first instance.”

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Man Seen Netting Pigeons, Hauling Them Off From New York City Streets

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Pigeons are disappearing from New York City streets, but not for natural reasons.

As CBS2’s Valerie Castro reported, some say the birds meet a violent death across state lines after being illegally snatched up in broad daylight.

Pigeons are affectionately – or perhaps derisively – called flying rats. Indeed, they may not be the most beloved New York City wildlife.

But the NYPD said removing them from city streets is illegal.

That has not seemed to stop one man, who was seen trapping at least a dozen unsuspecting birds in Greenpoint, Brooklyn earlier this week.

“It’s really bizarre,” said one woman who witnessed the trapping.

The woman, who does not want to be identified, said birdseed was used as a lure

“With a massive net — looked like a big butterfly net — he captured a bunch of pigeons and threw them in to a van, and then drove off,” she said.

Someone who appeared to be the same man was captured on cellphone video in the East Village last year, walking away with a net full of birds.

In the most recent incident, he was seen on surveillance video walking down the sidewalk with the large net and he appeared to pounce on the unsuspecting birds just around the corner. Another angle showed some pigeons fluttering away after the net was thrown.

The man hurries across the street with his catch to the waiting van.

“It’s obvious that he knew what he was doing was wrong, and he was probably doing something kind of nefarious with the pigeons and that’s why he didn’t want to be caught,” the woman said.

The Humane Society of the United States said the practice is an ongoing problem.

“Pigeon netting has been going on for some time,” said Brian Shapiro of the Humane Society.

The Humane Society claimed the pigeons caught in New York are sold across state lines to Pennsylvania, one of the few states that allows live pigeon shoots.

The practice is controversial, but legislative bills to end it in that state have never passed.

“I think it’s more than coincidence that whenever we see events happening in Pennsylvania, that we hear of pigeon nettings happening here in New York City,” Shapiro said.

The Humane Society of the United States said there is a bird shooting event in Pennsylvania this weekend. But where the birds are coming from is unclear.

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What Prison guards caught that brings phones to prisoners

Some prison guards intercepted a pigeon trying to deliver a cellphone to inmates inside a facility in Brazil, corrections officials in the country have said.

The Department of Penitentiary Administration said guards at the Nilton Silva prison in Franco da Rocha spotted some inmates attempting to catch a pigeon that was wearing a vest-like garment apparently designed for smuggling contraband into the prison.

The guards intercepted the bird and discovered the vest contained a cellphone and battery.

In a similar vein, Telegraph reports that, two carrier pigeons carrying mobile phones to detainees at a prison in Sorocaba, 62 miles from Sao Paolo, were intercepted.

“Penitentiary agents found the pigeons outside the Danilo Pinheiro prison but, fortunately, the birds did not have time to enter the prison building with the material,” said Rosana Alberto.

Each pigeon was carrying a small bag containing a mobile phone and charger, she said.

The birds were caught on two successive days, last Wednesday and Thursday, February 9 and 10.

The use of pigeons to smuggle contraband into jail is the latest twist in a ongoing struggle by criminal networks to deliver forbidden goods into Brazil’s prisons.

Criminal organizations like “Red Commando” in Rio de Janeiro or the “First Commando of the Capital” in Sao Paulo, which are well established in the detention centres, have extensive supply networks.

In the past they have use accomplices, from lawyers to corrupt prison guards, to smuggle in banned substances, weapons and mobile phones to the detainees, according to the police.

The goods are then traded or used to organise crimes from inside the jails.

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IoT-enabled pigeons helped fight pollution in London

The success of a pollution-fighting pilot program involving pigeons and the Internet of Things has taken flight in a big way. This month, it has expanded to involve humans. The Pigeon Air Patrol recruited about 100 volunteers in London to wear air quality sensors.

But this newest phase never would have happened without the innovative thinking of Pigeon Air Patrol creator Pierre Duquesnoy. Duquesnoy, who works at the London office of marketing and technology agency DigitasLBi, says he came up with the notion of giving pigeons connected air sensors as part of a Twitter contest called #PoweredByTweets, in 2015.

He took part in the contest with his then creative partner, Matt Daniels. „At that point I was learning about air pollution,” he says. „I had read a few papers on the subject, and one said there was a need for more data about the problem in London.”

Pigeon show celebrates 40 years in resort

Around 1,700 pigeons fluffed their feathers and strutted their stuff at the UK’s premier showcase at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens over the weekend. The birds were judged for their good looks and general composure with a winner and a supreme champion chosen from the flock.

It was the 45th annual British Homing World Show and the 40th to be held at Blackpool, drawing pigeon fanciers from across Europe.

Visitors had the chance to peruse around 200 stalls promoting specially designed pigeon lofts and veterinary services during the two-day event.

Organiser Ian Evans of the Cheltenham-based Royal Pigeon Racing Association said: “It was very successful, we’ve probably had about 15,000 people visiting so it’s been very very busy so it will have had a good impact on the local economy here.“

Also we have the UK’s 10 best-performing racing pigeons here which will be going to Brussels next week to compete in the Pigeon Olympiad.”

Pigeon racing became a sport of the masses in the early 1900s, and pigeons were used extensively as message carriers by armies on both sides during the two World Wars.

In the UK the sport probably reached its height of popularity after World War Two.

Each year the BHW Show collects money to give to charity and the £55,000 raised last year was presented to a variety of different charitable causes.

Over its last 40 years the show has raised £3m for charity.

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Kite festival leaves birds injured across Mumbai

Activists involved in rescuing and providing medical treatment to birds that get injured due to kite strings are a worried lot. According to them this year with the number of kites being seen in the sky being much higher compared to last year, it could mean that the number of mortalities and injuries will only rise in the coming days.

In fact by Saturday evening there were over 150 birds reported to be injured with various organisations working for birds. “We have got around 100 birds from across South Mumbai and Western suburbs mostly pigeons who have been injured and are being treated,” said Harsh Shah of Bird Helpline who along with several volunteers had set up several camps across Mumbai.

Shah voicing his concern said that this year since the Kite Festival fell on a weekend there were more people seen flying kites. “Our observation across the city suggests that this year there were more kites, which means that more chances of the manjha being left on branches, walls and other places where birds might get stuck. Normally the cases of bird injuries begin flooding a day after the festival,” he said.

Bharat Amin a Ville Parle resident who found a kite hanging and struggling to free itself from the manjha said that it took four hours to free the bird. “The birds feet got stuck in manjha that was left on a tree at Irla and we spotted it at around 1pm and despite trying call almost everyone for help it was only at 4pm that it could be freed,” he said adding that the fire brigade did not come on time.

Sunish Subramanian Secretary, PAWS- Mumbai said that while they rescued six pigeons one crow and a kite on Saturday they were left stunned while trying to rescue a crow from a tree at Borivali. “As our volunteers saw a crow hanging stuck in manjha, a monkey was spotted making several attempts to free the crow by pulling the branches and even the manjha but without any success it left soon and our volunteers managed to free the bird,” he said.

Mumbai Fire Brigade too was busy as its control room kept buzzing with bird rescue calls. “On an average we receive two calls a day informing about bird stuck in majha but on Saturday we received around 25 phone calls from across Mumbai related,” said a fire brigade official.

By Saturday evening, there were over 150 birds reported to be injured with various organisations working for birds. “We have got around 100 injured birds from across South Mumbai and Western suburbs, mostly pigeons, in need of treatment” said Harsh Shah of Bird Helpline.

Shah said since this year the festival fell on a weekend there were more people seen flying kites.

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Over 150 pigeons worth Rs0.5 million stolen from rooftop

LAHORE – Police have launched investigations after some 150 racing pigeons were stolen from the rooftop of a roadside building located in Sundar police precincts.

Police said the stolen birds are estimated to be worth Rs 500,000. A criminal case (under section 457/380 of the Pakistan Penal Code) was registered with the Sundar police on complaint of the owner, Maqsood Ahmed. Investigators are probing into the incident with no arrest made yet.

The owner told the police that he had set up a pigeon box on the rooftop of a multi-storey building, Jaan Traders, on the Multan Road. Maqsood, who sells building material in the area, further said that unidentified thieves broke into his building late night on January 9. The thieves reached the rooftop, broke the lock of the pigeon box, and made off with more than 150 racing pigeons.

A police officer last night told The Nation that they were working on the case to recover the stolen pigeons and arrest the thieves.

DANCE PARTY RAIDED

City police yesterday raided a dance party in the Ghalib Market area and seven persons including three young women.

The arrests were made as police raided a guesthouse in the posh locality after midnight. A police official said the arrested men and women were heavily drunk. The police team also seized bottles of liquor from the guesthouse. The police registered a case against the accused and sent them to the lock up. Further investigations were underway.

AUTO LIFTERS ARRESTED

City police arrested three motorcycle lifters and seized seven stolen bikes from their possession. The suspects were named by police as Shan, Shafique, and Nadeem. A team of Sundar police conducted raids and arrested the suspects.

According to a police officer, they also seized cell phones and fire arms from their possession. The suspects were handed over to the investigation police for further interrogation.

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Donald Trump’s solution to cyber security problem is to send things by courier and everyone made the same joke

The threat to cyber security is a problem the world is facing right now, and it appears Donald Trump may have come up with a solution: courier deliveries.

The president-elect expressed his doubts about the security of online communications his administration is likely to use for everything from day-to-day planning to international relations, saying “no computer is safe” when it comes to keeping information private.

He told reporters during his annual New Year’s party that he believes in writing out important messages and having it delivered the old-fashioned way.

He said: “You want something to really go without detection, write it out and have it sent by courier.”

And of course, the internet had only one thing in mind: Make carrier pigeon great again!

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Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.

Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)