The key to finding out who poisoned a bird of prey could lie within a “rogue minority” in the racing pigeon community, police said.
A peregrine falcon was found poisoned at Glendinning Quarry in Ashburton, Devon, on Tuesday and died a day later.
Police have described the area as a “hot spot” for suspected poisonings.
The RSPB has offered a £1,000 reward for information which directly leads to the prosecution of the offender.
PC Josh Marshall, Devon and Cornwall Police’s wildlife crime officer said: “The answer to solving and preventing these poisonings could lie somewhere within a rogue minority of the racing pigeon community.”
Peregrine falcons sometimes eat racing pigeons, which “causes conflict”, he said.
The falcon will be forensically examined to establish the cause of death and a police investigation has been launched.
Other incidents in the Ashburton area:
2011: One poisoned peregrine falcon at White Cleaves Quarry, Buckfastleigh
2005: Racing pigeon used as poisoned bait at Glendinning Quarry, Asburton
2005: One poisoned peregrine and one pigeon used as poisoned bait
2003: Two men with a pigeon on a length of string appeared to try and lure peregrines from the top of White Cleaves Quarry
2000: One poisoned Peregrine at Glendinning Quarry
2000: One shot sparrowhawk near Buckfastleigh, which survived
1992: Two dead peregrines at White Cleaves Quarry, with pigeon flesh in crop
PC Marshall said: “Generally the method used will be to smear the bait with a Vaseline-type substance containing the poison onto either a live or dead bird.”
He warned the poison was also toxic to humans and pets and that people should not touch dead or injured birds.
South West Peregrines, a volunteer group which monitors the birds, has described the incident as “abhorrent”.
Tony Whitehead, from the RSPB, said: “Once again, it appears the peregrines at this site have been deliberately targeted and, it is suspected, poisoned.
“Should this prove to be the case, this is outrageous and the criminals must be brought to justice.”
The Royal Pigeon Racers Association has been contacted for comment.
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.
The life, adventures, and professional transitions of Mohamed (Christian name “Mike”) Agha could fill a book that would entertain readers while educating with history lessons.
“I like to say I’m a jack of all trades and a master of some,” said a smiling Agha, who believes keeping a sense of humor is key to life. “I immerse myself in anything I do that’s interesting.”
During his seven decades, the Lebanese-born Ramona resident has operated several different kinds of businesses, been a horse owner/trainer, bounced back from a brain injury suffered in a car accident, and as a teenager was instrumental in starting a championship volleyball team in his home country. He is multilingual, an accomplished cook, and raises pigeons.
“The way Mohamed grew up is so fascinating to me,” said his partner, Candace Regel. The two own The Blinds Spot and Regal Floors in Ramona.
Agha grew up in Tripoli, Lebanon, with three brothers and three sisters.
“My dad was an open-minded person,” he said. “It was a Muslim home but never strict. My dad sent us to the best school in Tripoli, Lebanon, ’cause it was a Christian school, because he wanted us to be aware of everything.” About 40 percent of the population in Lebanon is Christian, he noted.
Mike Agha sits on his Arabian horse, Candy, ready to ride in a parade. (Courtesy photo)
Agha attended a French Catholic school and said most of his friends were Christians and everyone got along. He can speak French, English, Spanish, and Arabic.
“The French education — they taught us all about Western civilization from the Greeks all the way to today.”
Agha’s neighborhood did not have running water.
“We had all the old traditions of keeping food and saving for the winter,” he said.
Their home changed thanks to Agha’s father who only had a third-grade education but taught himself accounting. He became an accountant for one of the richest families in Tripoli and their household was the first in the neighborhood to have running water, a radio, refrigerator, television, telephone, and car.
Agha took his first trip to the United States in 1969.
What brought him here?
“All the movies that I saw,” he responded, laughing. “I didn’t miss a show.” Listing such actors as Roy Rogers, John Wayne, Rock Hudson, and Doris Day, Agha said, “I was a movie buff. And that kind of made learning English a lot easier for me.”
Over the next 25 years he traveled back and forth. His last time in Lebanon was in 1994, a year after he became a U.S. citizen.
In 1983, he managed a woman’s apparel store in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Women would come in wearing their hijabs and buy up the apparel that Agha’s brother sent from Los Angeles.
It was strange, Agha said. “They couldn’t drive, they couldn’t do this, this, and that. They had to have an escort, however, once they are in the shop, they can do whatever they want.
“One time I had two princesses come in with their entourage. Young princesses, like 16, 17.” They picked out clothing and had Agha deliver it to the back door of their palace. He found out they were the granddaughters of the then future King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.
Agha’s past includes operating an Italian restaurant on Miramar Road and a Middle Eastern restaurant called Caravan in Escondido.
He and his brothers opened Carpet Country on Miramar Road in 1984 and later moved it to Poway. In 2011, he and Regel opened The Blinds Spot. They met while he was an owner/horse trainer at San Luis Rey Downs in Bonsall.
They own Arabian horses and also have a menagerie of birds: a rescue Amazon parrot, a rooster and hens, and Egyptian and Pakistani pigeons. Raising pigeons is a Middle Eastern tradition, Agha noted.
“It stems from really old times from when Arabs used them for messenger pigeons,” he explained. Aghastarted with five pairs, not realizing how quickly they reproduce. In two years he had 150 pigeons. His flock that he lets out every day has since dwindled to 40, and he and Regel are entertained by watching their habits.
“The males always, always show off,” he said.
Agha finds life good in Ramona. With the mountains, ocean, and desert close by, it reminds him of his homeland.
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.
As the Community Council members are on a summer break until September, our news this month is mainly ongoing issues but progress is happening!
The Pipe Band Championships at the end of July certainly brought another successful day to our town with the usual influx of visitors and the amazing talent from all ages in the pipe bands including some local young talent which is always an extra reason to experience the feel good factor.
Work on Dumbarton East Railway Station has finally been completed . The work started last year and was an on/off project for months when problems were experienced with the bridge crossing. However, the station has been resurfaced and new concrete slabs have been laid. We will see if the shelter builds up water or not when it rains.
Unfortunately, although the station has had a makeover, the area under the bridge is still a haven for the pigeons so the pigeon mess is still as disgusting within a day or two after being cleaned. No word has been heard on whether the Council has been able to obtain a stream of funding to address this problem but an effort is being made to obtain finance to deal with this. The wheels of time etc etc!!
If you are passing the new Council Offices, you will notice the progress being made and the building is certainly taking shape. The old Academy Building is getting the makeover which is bringing it back to life and when it is finished will be an asset to the town centre.
The next meeting of Dumbarton East & Central Community Council will be held on Tuesday 12 September 2017 in St Augustine’s Hall at 7pm. The AGM will be held that evening and members of the public are welcome to come along and meet their Community Councillors and if there any issues you wish to raise, this is the meeting to come to and make your views heard. If it is in our remit, we will be happy to take any issues up with the appropriate personnel. Also, we are always looking for news members – but that is certainly not obligatory.
Enjoy what is left of the summer. Could be an indian summer yet!
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.
Police have launched an investigation after the death of a peregrine falcon in a quarry at Ashburton. Officers believe the young bird had been poisoned, and issued a warning that the poison could also be deadly to humans.
There are also suspicions that rogue members of the pigeon racing fraternity could be to blame for the poisoning. A £1,000 reward has been put up in an effort to find the poisoners,
PC Josh Marshall, who is Devon and Cornwall Police’s Wildlife Crime Officer, posted an emotional Tweet after the falcon was discovered.
He wrote: “Look into the eyes of a juvenile Devon peregrine falcon moments before its death.”
Police were contacted by staff at Glendinning Quarry in Ashburton, on Tuesday following reports of an injured peregrine falcon on the floor of the quarry which is home to a breeding pair of the birds.
PC Marshall made sure the bird received immediate care, but it died the following day.
He said: “The initial inspection and condition of the bird strongly suggests that this bird had been poisoned. The bird has now been placed into the Wildlife Investigation scheme administered by Natural England where it will be forensically examined to establish the cause of death and a police investigation has now begun into the incident.
“Members of the public are warned that poisons commonly used to commit a crime like this are incredibly toxic to humans and pets. Should any person locate any dead or injured birds they are strongly advised not to touch them or let pets come into contact with them.
“Ingestion of these poisons can lead to death. It is incredibly concerning that individuals are using these types of chemicals within public areas that not only kill our wildlife but could also place members of the public, children and their animals into harm’s way.”
The area around Ashburton and Buckfastleigh is a hot spot for the poisoning of these birds of prey.
In 1992 two peregrines were found dead at White Cleaves, Buckfastleigh, having eaten a poisoned pigeon.
In 2000 a peregrine was poisoned at the Ashburton quarry.
In 2000 a sparrowhawk was shot near Buckfastleigh but survived.
In 2003 two men with a pigeon on a length of string were spotted trying to lure peregrines at Buckfastleigh.
In 2005 a live racing pigeon with clipped wings was coated in poison and used as bait. Peregrine chicks were rescued but adults were missing, presumed dead.
In 2005 a dead peregrine was found on a dead pigeon which had been baited with poison and had its wings clipped.
In 2011 a peregrine was poisoned at a Buckfastleigh quarry.
PC Marshall added: “As can been seen from this data, the use of illegal banned poisons are evident and put the public at significant risk. In the 2005 incident, a number of children could have been harmed or potentially worse when the poisoned bait (a racing pigeon) was located wandering around near to a childminder’s address.
“Significantly racing pigeons have been used as the bait for a number incidents both here and nationally and the answer to solving and preventing these poisonings could lie somewhere within a rogue minority of the racing pigeon community.
“Peregrine falcons do not differentiate between prey items such as wild pigeons and racing pigeons, and this obviously causes conflict with some prize racing pigeons being taken by these birds of prey.
“Generally the method used will be to smear the bait with a Vaseline type substance containing the poison on to either a live or dead bird. When the peregrine plucks and eats the bait item the poison is then ingested and kills the bird. The bird then endures an excruciating few hours whilst waiting to die.
“South West Peregrines, a volunteer group who monitor these birds and others within the South West, have described the incident as ‘abhorrent’.
“We are urging members of the local community to come forward with any information they may have that can assist in bringing these offenders to justice.”
Information is handled in the strictest of confidence and can be passed directly to PC Marshall at Joshua.marshall2@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk or by email 101@dc.police.uk or calling 101 quoting log number 0223 180817.
Information can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers via 0800 555111 or the charity’s website at www.crimestoppers-uk.org
Tony Whitehead, speaking for RSPB in the South West said: “Peregrines are magnificent and much-loved birds, whose comeback over the past twenty years is a conservation success. However, once again, it appears the peregrines at this site have been deliberately targeted and, it is suspected, poisoned.
“Should this prove to be the case, this is outrageous and the criminals must be brought to justice. We are also concerned that, should this again prove to be a poisoning, someone is wantonly placing toxic chemicals in the countryside which can be a danger to both humans and pets.
“Someone in the local community must have information about who’s doing this and we urge people to come forward and contact the police. A £1,000 reward has been offered by the RSPB for information that directly leads to the prosecution of the offender.”
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.
There are many ways to offer tips about crimes to Smiths Falls and District Crime Stoppers – social media is not one of them.
In a press release, Crime Stoppers say they appreciate all the help and support from the community especially when the tips help solve crimes.
“So far, 2017 has been a stellar year both in terms of volume/quantity of tips that have been received and the financial support that the community has provided in order to pay our rewards,” the release states.
To remain safe and anonymous, they recommend three ways to provide tips and information:
* Phone: 1-800-222-TIPS (8477);
* Online: https://www.tipssubmit.com; and,
* Text Message: text to CRIMES (274637); in the message field, type “tip252”.
Some of the tips Crime Stoppers has received in 2017 have arrived in some unusual forms, they said, and they want to stress how potentially unsafe this may be to our tipsters.
Here are a few examples of tip methods that should never be used:
* Carrier Pigeon;
* Mail;
* Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.);
* In Person;
* Anything other than the three methods previously mentioned by Crime Stoppers.
This reminder is being provided so that Crime Stoppers can continue to make sure that our tipsters always remain anonymous. Anonymity keeps tipsters safe.
“Crime does not pay, but Crime Stoppers does,” is their motto.
Did you know that Crime Stoppers does not receive government funding from any level? It relies on funds raised by the board members of each individual program and on donations provided by the public.
Crime Stoppers does make a difference in our community.
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.
