by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 4, 2016 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, UltraSonic Bird Control
A rat or pigeon might not be the obvious choice to tend to someone who is sick, but these creatures have some superior skills that could help the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases.
Pigeons are often seen as dirty and an urban nuisance, but they are just the latest in a long line of animals that have been found to have abilities to help humans.
Despite having a brain no bigger than the tip of your index finger, pigeons have an impressive visual memory.
Recently it was shown that they could be trained to be as accurate as humans at detecting breast cancer in images.
Here are three more of our feathered and furry friends who could have a big impact in medicine.
From lab rats to lab technicians
Rats are often associated with spreading disease rather than preventing it, but this long-tailed rodent is a highly sensitive detector that can save lives.
Inside a rodent’s nose are up to 1,000 different types of olfactory receptors, whereas humans only have a feeble 100 to 200 types. This gives rodents, such as rats, the ability to sniff out subtle scents.
As a result, African-pouched rats – commonly described as “kitten-sized rodents” – are being put to work in Mozambique to detect tuberculosis.
The African pouched rats are highly accurate TB detectors
Their abilities are being studied at the Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, where trained rats can detect a specific scent produced by TB bacteria in human mucus samples.
When the rats detect the scent, they stop and rub their legs to indicate a sample is infected.
Traditionally, lab technicians prepare slides and examine each sample using microscopy. A hundred samples would take them more than two days, but for a rat it takes less than 20 minutes.
This rat detection method is affordable and doesn’t rely on specialist equipment, which is often lacking in countries where TB is prevalent.
It is also more accurate – the rats are able to find more TB infections and, therefore, save more lives.
Doctor dog – the emergency seizure detector
Dogs have long been considered a human’s best friend – but over the years they’ve really proved how skilful they can be.
Recently, there has also been a focus on dogs that seem to have the extraordinary ability to detect when people with epilepsy are about to have a seizure – even when the person has no idea themselves.
Sally Burton’s epilepsy began as a child and affected every aspect of her life from a young age.
“I could never be left alone,” she says. “I had to be home taught and making friends or meeting new people was difficult. I often felt very lonely.”
Thirteen years ago she got her first seizure alert dog, Star.
“Having a seizure alert dog instantly made my life liveable,” Sally explains.
Robbie warns Sally when she is going to have a seizure
“One of the first things I did when I first had Star was to make myself a cup of tea, something I had not been able to do in 30 years because of the risks of having a seizure when holding boiling water. I then went into town on my own – again a life-time first.”
It is still not known how dogs can sense a seizure. It has been suggested that minute changes in a person’s gestures or posturing could alert the dog, but people have also thought that a scent or auditory cue might also be involved.
After Star passed away, Sally teamed up with her second dog Robbie. Like Star, he was trained by a British charity, Support Dogs.
The charity has shown they are able to train dogs that are able to provide signals, such as persistently nudging someone’s leg, between 15 and 45 minutes before their owner had a seizure.
Although there is still little other published evidence to back up their effectiveness, the anecdotal evidence for seizure dogs like Robbie is strong.
“When I am out it is reassuring to know that Robbie will give me a 100% reliable 50-minute warning prior to every oncoming seizure I have – so plenty of time to get somewhere safe,” Sally says.
The secrets of cow saliva
Drool, dribble, or spit. Whatever you call it, saliva can be thought of as disgusting. But many animals lick their wounds, applying liberal amounts of the stuff to try and prevent infection.
Saliva across the animal kingdom can have antimicrobial properties – including saliva from the humble cow.
Studies have shown that there are proteins in a cow’s bodily fluids, including its saliva and milk, that have bug-fighting properties.
Saliva across the animal kingdom has been shown to have antimicorbial properties
Salvia also contains proteins – called mucins – that can work to prevent further bacteria entering the wound.
Experts don’t recommend letting an animal lick your wounds as they could introduce other bacteria, but if you don’t fancy that then, luckily, your own spit also contains antibacterial properties.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jun 26, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, UltraSonic Bird Control
Urgent repairs will be made to netting under a bridge in Shrewsbury following reports that pigeons were getting caught and starving to death.
Shropshire Council said it would send out a team to the bridge near Shrewsbury Railway Station to tackle the problem.
Wildlife experts today urged people in the town not to encourage pigeons in the wake of the issue.
Stuart Edmunds, from Shropshire Wildlife Trust has said the birds have become caught and not been able to get out.
He said: “The netting has been put there under the bridge to stop pigeons from roosting in it. But unfortunately it is only a thin netting and has been ripped away so the pigeons have been roosting there and have been unable to get out. Although they are considered a pest people do feed pigeons and that is one reason they are doing so well in the town. There are lots of different ways to put off pigeons but the way this bridge has been constructed netting is the only option. The easiest way to deter pigeons is to try not to leave too much food out as they become pretty well used to where food is left out. The main this is what the council does which is reducing the number of roosting sites there are. I don’t like the word pest that much because pigeons are not like the other kinds of pests. But a pest is like rats or mice – it is anything that develops a relationship between themselves and human activities. The main problem is pigeons flying and dropping their waste all over the place.”
Following reports of the pigeons getting caught in the netting, Shropshire Council has said it will send a team out to repair it as soon as possible.
Tim Sneddon, Shropshire Council’s environmental maintenance manager, said: “The railway bridge is owned and maintained by Network Rail. However, the former Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council entered into an agreement with them to maintain the underside of the netting, which Shropshire Council took on responsibility for in 2009. We regularly attend to undertake repairs when lorries catch the netting. Some birds do get access from the track side, and Shropshire Council are unable to do any works to stop that.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jun 25, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, UltraSonic Bird Control
An irate phone call to the newspaper last week brought up an interesting question: what to do about pigeons pooping on a 12th-floor balcony? An octogenarian in Oshawa was fed up with the mess and insistent that something be done to rid him of his unwelcome visitors. Stymied over how to help, the editor passed the query on to me.
Smiling wryly, I pictured aluminum pie plates dangling in the breeze, likely contravening every condo and apartment regulation in the book. Or what really would work — stretching garden netting from balcony roof to railing, screening pigeons out. Lightweight, cheap and durable, the one-inch mesh is virtually invisible; I know because I have it tacked outside my sunroom windows, stopping birds from flying into the glass.
And then I thought of the most natural, long-term, cost-free solution for our caller’s problem: peregrine falcons. The world’s swiftest birds have made headline news moving into Toronto, then Oshawa in recent years, and their favourite prey happens to be rock pigeons. The two species, in fact, evolved together, both nesting on cliff ledges where four-legged predators can’t get at their eggs or babies.
The docile feral pigeons happily at home in every urban centre around the planet have a wild and romantic history as mountain dwellers of Eurasia, fast, strong fliers traveling long distances to bring food back to their young. Since their main diet is seeds and grains, numbers grew when human hunter-gatherers settled down and started farming. People began domesticating pigeons 5,000 years ago, for food, sport and carrying messages, and brought them along everywhere they went, including the New World in the 1600s. Even Charles Darwin bred pigeons, and based his argument for natural selection on how his own birds changed through the generations.
Peregrine means ‘wanderer,’ and peregrine falcons got to every corner of the globe on their own, though falconers have been breeding them, too, for centuries. Widespread use of DDT wiped wild peregrines out of most of North America in the 1950s, but a ban on the pesticide and great efforts by conservation groups have managed to slowly bring them back. Like pigeons, peregrines have readily adapted to cities, nesting on ledges of high-rise buildings.
So it comes full circle, with two ancient neighbours meeting up again right here in Durham. Maybe peregrines will move in near our frustrated caller and scare his pigeons away, or at least keep numbers in check.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jun 24, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, UltraSonic Bird Control
Pigeons often roost on the edges of balconies and ledges giving them plenty of chances to mess up your car or property with their “guano.” Pigeons have become a common sight here in Delta of the last several years. The Rock Dove has pale grey feathers with two black bars on each wing. Now that FedEx and the Internet have taken over the jobs for carrier pigeons they are considered a nuisance and a pest by many. Pigeons carry many diseases that can cause serious health problems including; salmonellosis, tuberculosis and toxoplasmosis. Pigeons do not have natural defense mechanisms to protect against predators yet they are not in any danger of vanishing. To help rid pigeons around your home: Eliminate bird feeders, seal areas where they can nest, place a fake owl on your roof and spray water to scare them off.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jun 22, 2016 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Spikes, UltraSonic Bird Control
This is the home of horrors where disgusted builders discovered years of pigeon droppings plastered across the walls and floors of a derelict Anfield home.
They made the vile discovery after walking into the terraced property near the Anfield stadium development, which has been empty for years and due for renovation.
Up to 40 pigeons had moved in and deposited a generation of mess all over the building.
Specialised Cleaning Services, a Preston-based company, was called in had to carry out a deep clean and Manager Nathan Brennan told the ECHO: “They are doing a lot of houses up in this area and this one is getting renovated too.
“The roof was in a bad shape and loads of pigeons got in. They’ve left a lot of mess. It’s one of the worst states I’ve ever seen in a home.”
Mr Brennan led a three-man team over five days to clear out the pigeon mess.
The workers wore full body-suits, breathing masks and gloves to treat the property
Mr Brennan said: “The roof space of the two houses was connected so the birds could get from one home to the other.
“Clearing up the mess is a case of sweeping and then treating – there’s no other way to do it.
“It was filthy. Even though I was wearing a mask, my face was black from all the muck.”
Derelict homes in the area are being given a new lease of life thanks to the £260m Anfield regeneration project.
This scheme also includes the expansion of the stadium’s Main Stand, a new public square containing commercial and retail premises and a public space in honour of theHillsborough victims.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jun 21, 2016 | Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
Culling pigeons is very cruel. Many times the pigeon dies a very painful slow death when shot.
The only proven method of reducing pigeon flock size, as part of an area-wide control system, is to use a method involving artificial breeding facilities. This stand-alone method of control has been scientifically proven to reduce the pigeon flock size and is currently being used throughout mainland Europe by councils and commercial organisations alike.
It involves providing a pigeon loft, in which feral pigeons can be encouraged to roost and breed, and from which their eggs can be removed and replaced with dummy eggs. This method has proved to be extremely effective in reducing flock size.
It is also not true that pigeons spread diseases. I urge Birdlife and all animal lovers to speak up against the killing of these peaceful birds.
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)
