Spring in the air, China’s pigeon racers give birds their meds

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

“I normally choose imported medicines, which are several times more expensive than some local brands,” Wang told Reuters 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 can 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 euros (nearly $334,000) for a Belgian-bred racing pigeon, whereas local birds can be bought for less than $100.

Wang doesn’t want to say how much he has invested in his birds, though he spends almost $1,500 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 kilometers, fall under the gray category of social sports.

China hosts more than 100,000 pigeon races annually, some of them organized by corporate-backed professional pigeon clubs like Huashunde, supported by Beijing Huashunde Power Engineering Ltd, and Hongjin Pigeon Club, backed by PetroChina Huabei Oil Field Co.

Prize money has been rising. A club in Beijing is set to award 70 million yuan (over $10 million) in total prize money at its autumn championship.

Ge, a 39-year-old pigeon owner in Fujian, has 80 pigeons. So far, they have helped him win 150,000 yuan (nearly $22,000).

“We aim for good scores and big rewards at contests,” said Ge. “Otherwise, why raise pigeons?”

 

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)

China’s pigeon racers give birds their medicines

Guarding against avian flu, which has forced a mass cull of birds in China, pigeon fancier Wang Jincang paid out nearly $400 to get his 200 racing pigeons vaccinated and fortified for the onset of the spring racing season.
“I normally choose imported medicines, which are several times more expensive than some local brands,” Wang told Reuters 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 can 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 (nearly $334,000) for a Belgian-bred racing pigeon, whereas local birds can be bought for less than $100.
Wang doesn’t want to say how much he has invested in his birds, though he spends almost $1,500 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.
China hosts more than 100,000 pigeon races annually, some of them organised by corporate-backed professional pigeon clubs like Huashunde, supported by Beijing Huashunde Power Engineering Ltd, and Hongjin Pigeon Club, backed by PetroChina Huabei Oil Field Co.
Prize money has been rising. A club in Beijing is set to award 70mn yuan (over $10mn) in total prize money at its autumn championship.
Ge, a 39-year-old pigeon owner in Fujian, has 80 pigeons. So far, they have helped him win 150,000 yuan (nearly $22,000).
“We aim for good scores and big rewards at contests,” said Ge. “Otherwise, why raise pigeons?”

 

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)

Notts cocktail bar fined after dead pigeons and bird droppings found in yard

A Mansfield business has been told to pay more than £6,000 after dead pigeons and bird droppings were found in its side yard.

Pacha Lounge Ltd admitted failing to comply with an Improvement Notice served under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court on March 2.

The bar, on Market Place, was fined £5,000 by the court on March 8 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £170 plus costs of £1,062 after failing to act on the notice.

Environmental Health Officers visited Pacha Lounge after receiving a complaint and found damaged bird proofing at the side of the premises in Market Place, dead pigeons on the yard floor and large amounts of bird droppings on items stored in the yard.

Mr Xhetan Bushi, a director of the company, was advised that work was required to improve the yard but this was not carried out within a reasonable time so Mansfield District Council prosecuted after Pacha Lounge failed to act.

The council’s portfolio holder for public protection, councillor Mick Barton, said: “Companies do have a responsibility for health and safety, and the council will act, where necessary, to ensure that companies meet that obligation.”

 

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)

The ‘pigeon man’ of Okaloosa Island

OKALOOSA ISLAND — A gray cloud flies low every day over a sun-kissed beachgoer near the Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier.

It’s not a cloud filled with sadness or rain, but one made up of a flock of feathery friends flying in to greet “the pigeon man.”

Resting under a deep blue umbrella with a thick coat of sunscreen on his nose, Dayn Lacke of Cinco Bayou, as he’s formally known, spends his days in a lawn chair soaking up the sunshine. Lacke said it was five years ago when he threw a cracker in the sand and began his passion for pigeons.

“I come out here more than the lifeguards,” Lacke said. “I come out here every day. It could be three hours or it could be all day long. Five years ago I saw a pretty white pigeon and started feeding that one crackers. She got friendly with me. We called her Angel.”

Lacke, a semi-retired architectural illustrator, now has up to 120 pigeons he feeds daily. He said you’ll rarely see a seagull among the group because he only buys wild bird seed, which is the healthiest option for the pigeons.

“I go through about 35 pounds of bird seed each week,” Lacke said. “The bird seed is too small for the seagulls to pick up. In the mornings, they (pigeons) will normally meet me on the boardwalk and line up on the handrails. I then walk through a gondola of pigeons.”

MooMoo, LuLu, Powder, Brownie, Baby and Speck are among Lacke’s favorite birds that he has named. He needs only to call their names for the birds to fly and land on this index finger.

“I formed bonds with roughly 30 of the pigeons,” Lacke said. “I named those, but you can’t name them all.”

Lacke said he asks other beachgoers only one thing: “Do not chase my birds.”

“I would say 95 percent of people walk by with a smile on their face,” he said.

Five percent are dumbfounded or grossed out or freaked out. The pigeons are very tame. When people chase them, it can break their feet, he said.

“I see a lot of people ducking and diving when the pigeons are flying,” Lacke added. “It’s not like they’ll run into you. They’re fine navigators. As long as you’re not a window, I think you’re okay.”

Jenna Testa, a wildlife health technician at the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge on Okaloosa Island, said pigeons are a form of rock dove that is not native to the Emerald Coast. Although helping aid non-native species could have a direct impact on the native ones, Testa said Lacke has also helped refuge workers untangle and aid many native birds on the beach.

“He has a big heart for the birds,” Testa said. “He has a good heart for animals in general.”

Lacke said he also is available to people walking by if they need information or a helping hand. As far as the birds, he said they will continue to be fed.

“If someone else can’t handle it, I’ll keep doing it,” he said. “Even if I come out here just to feed them and then leave, they’ll keep getting fed.”

 

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)

Pushing the wrong button

A group of behavioral scientists carefully gathered two sets of pigeons and put them in separate cages. Each cage was equipped with one green button and one red button. In one of the cages if the birds pecked the green button they received a generous portion of food every time. In the other, the green button yielded food erratically and the pigeons had to persist to receive their share of food. In both cases; pecking the red button did absolutely nothing. Surprisingly both sets of birds found out what worked and what didn’t! In both cases they thrived; both sets of pigeons were smart enough to learn very quickly to avoid the red button that produced absolutely nothing.

Now I already know what you are going to ask me. You are thinking, “Dr. J what has this have to do with us or anything spiritual?” It has a lot to do with us and those that we come in contact with every day as we travel the pathway of life. Why aren’t we or the people we observe as smart as those pigeons? What do I mean by that last statement? Why can’t we or those that we see every day of our lives able to avoid the red button issues in their life? Why are people still smoking when they know that it causes cancer? Smoking is a red button issue and yet I see young and old who refuse to heed the warnings. It blows my mind! Years down the road they will regret every cigarette that they have ever smoked. But do you know what? It will be too late. Therefore they continue to hit “the red button” while all the while knowing that sooner or later the “repo man” will arrive!

What about the red button of drugs and those in our community and around the world who are addicted to them? How many public service announcements have been aired over the years and yet the drug addicted keep “hitting the red button” hoping for a different outcome. How many times has the rescue squad been called to the scene of a drug overdose only to give the person a shot to bring them back around only to give them another opportunity to do it again and again!

Too many of us have other issues in our lives that we know that are harmful spiritually and yet we invest our lives in empty, meaningless or even harmful activities. We have a way of continually hitting red buttons that always result in a negative outcome.

Listen, Christians are not exempt! We as children of the King of kings need to eliminate our own red button issues. We need to learn through experience and hard work to accept personal responsibility for every area of our life. True, we were not responsible for our upbringing and early training, but as adults we are totally responsible for our recovery, our actions, and our well-being! We cannot fault find by blaming others. That is the plague that is engulfing our society; no one wants to take responsibility for their actions! It is time to take personal responsibility! Quit playing Adam and Eve blaming everyone except the one who is to blame and take a personal stand for integrity and righteousness.

Please understand that we need to remind ourselves that we are not only responsible for ourselves and what we do, but we are also responsible before God. Never forget that life is short and one day we will meet the Creator face to face. Remember we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. So with that in mind; start hitting “the green button” taking personal responsibility while making a difference in our community and the Church of Jesus Christ!

 

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)