by johnnymarin | Jun 11, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
New Zealands “forgotten army” has been remembered at Massey University’s School of Veterinary Science in Palmerston North.
On Thursday, a plaque dedicated to the officers and soldiers of the New Zealand Veterinary Corps was unveiled.
A purple poppy is the recognised tribute to the “forgotten army” of animals that gave their loyalty and lives during war.
The plaque, donated by the Australian War Animal Memorial Organisation, was presented at this year’s unveiling of the New Zealand War Animal Memorial at Waiouru’s National Army Museum on Purple Poppy Day, February 24.
As New Zealand’s only veterinary school, it was decided Massey would be the best place to house the plaque on behalf of the country’s veterinary professionals.
Featuring the horses, mules, camels, dogs and pigeons that served, the plaque carried an inscription to members of the NZ Vet Corps who “gave comfort and care to the animals of war”, and was unveiled by the university’s vice chancellor Professor Jan Thomas and Emeritus Professor Neil Bruère.
Glyn Harper, professor of war studies at Massey University, and an author of children’s books set during World War I, has two stories featuring animals, Roly, The Anzac Donkey, and, released earlier this year, Bobby, The Littlest War Hero, the story of the New Zealand tunnelling company’s early warning canary.
Harper said animals played a huge role in New Zealand wars from the conflicts of the 19th century onward, and especially during WWI, with bullocks, horses, mules and donkeys used for logistical purposes.
“New Zealand sent 8000 horses to the South African War, and 10,000 horses to WWI, before that was stopped in 1916.”
New Zealand was running out of horses and needed the remaining animals for farm work. Many of the horses sent to the front had passed through a camp just outside Palmerston North used as a base for receiving gifted and bought horses.
“On the Western Front, the New Zealand Division used 6000 horses each day,” Harper said.
The New Zealand Veterinary Corps was formed in 1907, and during WWI comprised a small number of qualified veterinarians as commissioned officers, along with blacksmiths and farriers, groomers, teamsters and wagoners, and were essential for military operations.
Harper said despite being overwhelmed by the numbers of animals they had to treat, including dogs and carrier pigeons, the vets provided exemplary service, with only 2 per cent of the animals succumbing to illness or disease.
Wreaths were placed at the base of the plaque, the Ode to Remembrance was read and The Last Post sounded during the hour-long ceremony, which was also attended by Yardley, a golden labrador explosives detection dog and Afghanistan veteran, and alsatian infantry support dog Ida, from Linton Military Camp.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Jun 10, 2018 | Pigeon Spikes
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.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Jun 9, 2018 | Bird Deterrent Products
Q. Pigeons are everywhere, but has anyone ever seen a baby pigeon?
A. No. They are mythical creatures born in adult form, like the Greek goddess Athena when she sprang from the head of Zeus.
Just kidding, of course: Pigeons are secretive birds, and as such like to build their nests in hidden locations. What’s more, it takes only a month for a chick — properly called a squab, informally known as a squeaker — to become fully developed and leave the nest, limiting the time you have to come across one.
The feral pigeons that inhabit the city today are the descendants of wild rock pigeons, also known as rock doves, which are native to Europe, northern Africa and southwestern Asia.
Wild pigeons build their nests in places unlikely to be disturbed by other animals, such as on cliff faces. Window ledges, rooftops and scaffolding serve as stand-ins for their cosmopolitan relatives.
When a male pigeon looks for a mate, he finds a good nesting spot before launching into his mating call. If he is successful, the female remains at the site while the male brings twigs and other materials to build the nest.
Both parents take turns incubating the eggs, which typically come in pairs and take 16 to 19 days to hatch. The chicks are born helpless, covered with yellowish-brown fuzz; nourishment comes from a white substance called “pigeon milk,” which their parents regurgitate into their mouths.
One New Yorker who has seen her share of squabs is Rita McMahon, co-founder and director of the Wild Bird Fund, a nonprofit that rehabilitates wildlife of all kinds.
On a recent afternoon, several large birds roamed freely around the organization’s Upper West Side headquarters, including a juvenile swan named Warrior who had found himself frozen in ice in Prospect Park. (“They’re just young and stupid,” Ms. McMahon said. “They don’t know winter yet.”)
There were no baby pigeons, however. Ms. McMahon estimated that squabs account for one-sixth of the 6,000 birds her team treats each year. The flow is fairly consistent, as pigeons, which have an expected life span of two to three years, mate year-round.
Many patients arrive with broken legs. That’s because squabs nearing maturity go through an angst-filled teenage phase, which can result in a desire to leave the nest prematurely.
“If they come out too early and they don’t have the wings, all the flapping in the world isn’t going to keep them from hitting hard,” Ms. McMahon said.
This risky period requires the parents to navigate between protecting the squabs from harming themselves and letting them go free. If their young become overly dependent, for example, they could have a difficult time making it on their own.
Human guardians can be faced with the same challenge, as one Metro reporter for The New York Times discovered last year when he raised a pair of baby pigeons in his bathroom.
“You get very attached to them,” Ms. McMahon said. “They are charming.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Jun 8, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
The big-hearted rescuers then used a tube to administer air from a ventilator until the wild creatures coughed back into life.
Passer-by Sim Wright, 49, snapped the bonkers scene as he passed the depot in Colchester, Essex.
The marine biologist said: “We heard what sounded like explosions coming from the depot so we thought it was best to get out.
“When I went round the back, I could see they were looking for people in the building and when they were sure no-one was trapped, they turned their attention to the birds.
“They were carrying the birds out by hand. They had passed out from smoke inhalation.
“They got them on to the ground and they started feeding them water out of a cap to revive them.
“Then I was really surprised because they used a tube to feed them oxygen which really seem to do the trick.
“When I saw it, being a marine biologist, I was really taken with the care they were displaying to the animals.
“Obviously, their first priority is for humans but once they had ascertained there was no-one in there, it was really great to see how quickly they turned their attention to the birds. Soon after I took this they were walking around the place and looked okay.”
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said the firefighters were called to the blaze on Friday, May 18.
A spokesman added: “This is a great example of the compassion our firefighters show on a daily basis across our county.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Jun 7, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
A BIRD found itself before the beak after sneaking into a courtroom and leaving deposits everywhere.
Although there are no windows in the room at Swindon Crown Court, the pigeon somehow managed to get in and make itself at home.
And it was still there this morning when legal business was due to start, resulting in one case being moved to another courtroom while another matter was delayed.
Efforts are being made to remove the bird from the building.
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)
