Cruel Pigeon Control in Toronto

On Sunday, Stilleposters were in a flap over what was perceived to be a cruel method of deterring pigeons being used at the TD Bank at Dundas and Ossington. Lara Williston posted photos of the location's façade, which appeared to have some pigeons' feathers stuck to it, followed by photos of a pigeon sitting on the sidewalk with its underside covered in some kind of thick, sticky substance. Williston explained what she had witnessed prior to snapping the photos:

The feathers that you see on the right side of the pillar are stuck in some of the glue and were ripped out a bird's wing that was dangling from the ledge. The pigeon that you see in the picture had fallen from the ledge and was glued to the front steps leading up to the door. He couldn't move his wings or walk because he was covered in this substance. I don't know if TD is specifically responsible or if it is the landlord of the building, but I suspect it is both, and either way it is an unacceptable and inhumane way of treating any animal, regardless of whether or not it is viewed as a pest.

The disturbing images prompted a generally negative reaction from Stilleposters, some of who wrote that they had placed calls to Animal Services, the Ministry of the Environment, City Hall, and the SPCA (apparently an agent was dispatched, though from what organization was not specified). Then, on Tuesday around noon, a new poster named mcram appeared on the boards, claiming to be a TD employee and offering this explanation:

Hello, I’m Matthew Cram from TD. On Sunday, a contractor we hired was installing a non-harmful pigeon deterrent (a device that dissuades pigeons from landing on our sign and making unsolicited “deposits” on customers). There was some extra adhesive from the installation of the device and unfortunately one pigeon did get stuck and died. The contractor came back yesterday to check the installation and remove any extra adhesive and we’re confident it’s now safe. This was a complete accident and we’re really sorry it happened. TD has been supporting wildlife and the environment for nearly 20 years through our TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (www.fef.ca) and this includes pigeons too!

There was some suspicion as to whether Cram was legit, but as his TD email address and this link prove, he indeed works in communications for the company. Over the phone, he explained that the pest control company Abell was hired to install metal spikes along the building to prevent pigeons from landing and thus making "deposits" on customers. Abell's installation job was sloppy, too much adhesive was used, and as a result a pigeon got stuck. "We talked to them, and they assured us this wouldn't happen again," Cram says. "As soon as I saw the thread, I thought, 'No, this can't be right.'" His story checked out: Torontoist dropped by the Dundas & Ossington branch yesterday and saw "porcupine wire" installed along the tops of signage and other popular pigeon-resting spots. Abell employees were at work, and there were no glue traps (or dead or injured pigeons) to be seen.

Cram's handling of the sticky situation seemed to satisfy Stillepost readers, and some commented that it was a good move on the part of TD to openly address the issue, especially on a message board. Though he's not too familiar with Stillepost (he was alerted to the pigeon thread by a bank employee), Cram notes that this sort of response speaks to the "new reality of news." "I read a lot of things, like Facebook, Twitter, and various blogs and websites. We like to know what people are saying about us, and it's interesting how we find out about a lot of things."

Could this be the future: corporate spokespeople like Cram responding to online criticism (even slightly misguided cries of "bird torture") in a timely and sensitive fashion? And to think, all it took to bring together indie-rock message board enthusiasts and a big soulless banking corporation was concern for flying rats.

See full article here.

All photos by Lara Williston.

"Safe Feeding Zones" for Pigeons

According to a recent article in the Columbia Spectator, the Humane Society of the US is negotiating with New York City lawyers to put into place pigeon "safe feeding zones" or restricted feeding areas. Can this be nothing more than pigeon discrimination, or will safe feeding zones for other wildlife follow in the future. I hope this plan is not an attempt to reduce the numbers of pigeons in Manhattan as pigeon populations have been declining steadily over the past several years and there is no need for pigeon control.

"As for those who enjoy playing with the pigeons, I think it is my duty to suggest that we follow the Humane Society’s plan for the city, called “safe feeding zones.” In negotiations with Councilman Simcha Felder (44th District, Brooklyn), the HS is working with city lawyers to draw up a plan that will allow the feeding of pigeons in parks, on the grass, away from the heavily trafficked areas.

We can do the same thing at Columbia. We can feed the pigeons only on the grassy areas and abstain from inviting them to dine on the steps or any concrete places where people may sit. At least on the grass, their poop can actually function as fertilizer, and those of us who relax on the grass generally do so in our casual clothes, not our Sunday finest.

The Humane Society also advises that we feed only as much as the birds will consume in five to ten minutes, rather than feed with the clockwork regularity that conditions the birds to appear at the same place, same time, every day—and attract more and more of their compatriots over time."

Here are some examples of how other areas have dealt with pigeons in their cities. (Source: PETA)

✔Basel, Switzerland: From 1988 to 1992, Basel halved its street pigeon population through an integrated management program. The city had previously tried trapping, shooting, and oral contraceptives, all of which failed to effectively reduce pigeon numbers. Identifying the limitation of food sources as the only solution, the world’s leading scientist in the field, Professor Daniel Haag Wackernagel of the University of Basel, recommended that the city mount a public education campaign emphasizing that public feeding was the root of the problem and explaining the ultimate harm to the pigeons. Basel built lofts in city buildings and established areas where feeding was permitted near the lofts. Eggs were removed from the lofts, and during the four-year period of Haag-Wackernagel’s oversight, the pigeon population was reduced by 50 percent.

✔Augsburg, Germany: Augsburg currently has seven pigeon lofts in the city and is close to completing an eighth. The number of lofts is expected to grow to 15 by the end of 2006. In 2002 alone, 12,000 eggs were removed from the new lofts. Augsburg has seen a marked reduction in damage to buildings because the pigeon droppings are collected largely in the lofts.

✔Aachen, Germany: After acknowledging that trapping and killing pigeons was not making “any noticeable change” to the pigeon numbers, Aachen has now installed seven pigeon lofts that are maintained by volunteer staff and activists. A spokesperson for the city said that the city wants to continue with the integrated program because the lofts are producing the desired results.

✔Paris, France: The city had tried conventional control methods but did not obtain satisfactory results, so in 2003, Paris put up its first pigeon loft. Paris has chosen to addle (shake) the eggs to prevent them from hatching. The program has the support of the French Society for the Protection of City Birds. A spokesperson for the city said that the new plan works to “improve relations between Parisians and these birds” and reduces the damage caused by droppings.

✔Nottingham City Hospital, U.K.: A good example of the effectiveness of the PiCAS method in a commercial setting, the 60-acre hospital started killing some of its 1,200-strong resident pigeon population in 1999 but stopped immediately because of a public outcry. The hospital then brought in PiCAS to devise a humane control program and reduced its pigeon population by 50 percent within a year. The population in 200 was further reduced to 360 birds, and a recent survey has counted only 62 resident birds on site. This massive reduction was achieved exclusively by using nonlethal methods of control. The hospital won the 2003Royal Society for the Protection of Animals (UK) Best Practice Award for its humane and effective program in association with PiCAS.

The PiCAS Method in Action: Proven and Ongoing Successes

Some examples of places where this method has worked and is working to reduce and manage pigeon populations in Europe include the following:

As an example of construction and maintenance costs, the German city of Augsburg found it more expensive, according to the city’s finance officer, to employ lethal controls and constantly clean buildings than to introduce an integrated program. Currently, the city spends about $2,000 on construction materials for each dovecote or $15,000 if it contracts to have the dovecote constructed. The dovecotes are cleaned and maintained two to three times a week, which takes approximately three hours for each visit. Augsburg also uses community volunteers to keep costs low, and PETA can work with communities to locate and organize volunteers to aid in
running the PiCAS program.

If the more intricate and picturesque dovecotes such as those found in Augsburg are not desired, simpler features such as wall-mounted nesting boxes that can cost as little as $40 to $60 each or pigeon “lofts” that cost $400 to $600 can be constructed. All these options are effective and can simply be tailored to suit the available budget and the aesthetics of the designated site. As long as the facility has been constructed with the needs and behaviors of the pigeons in mind and has been erected on an appropriate site, pigeons will begin to take up residence and can be managed from the site. Perhaps the biggest benefit for cities in adopting a PiCAS
program is the savings that PiCAS can arrange for commercial property owners in the city. As noted above, one of the key features of the PiCAS method is working with property owners to ensure that their buildings are adequately and properly pigeon-proofed in order to make that area as unattractive to pigeons as possible. Pigeon-proofing can be achieved through a range of deterrents such as anti-roosting spikes, and PiCAS has extensive experience working with property owners to determine how best to address their individual concerns. PiCAS can offer the client sources for a wide range of control options and deterrents that will not only be completely effective in the long term but also can be obtained at a fraction of the cost that a commercial PCO would charge. For example, PiCAS has a noncommercial relationship with a U.K. producer of antiroosting devices that, having established a presence in Florida, can supply top-quality stainless-steel anti-roosting spikes to U.S. clients for less than even the wholesale price. U.S. clients who confirm that they will solely use nonlethal controls to address pigeon issues can enjoy a further 15 percent discount on these products, making the humane pigeon control option even more cost-effective.

It is also worthwhile to consider the possibility of offering a franchise to sell high-quality pigeon feed adjacent to the designated feeding area. This would ensure that the right food was offered to pigeons (rather than large quantities of processed food that not only would be damaging to their health, but might also attract rodents and seagulls), and it would create revenue for the city to offset the costs involved in cleaning and servicing the site.

PEOPLE FOR THE ETHICAL TREATMENT OF ANIMALS
PIGEON CONTROL: PERMANENT AND HUMANE SOLUTIONS
Contact Information
Pigeon Control Advisory Service
29 Victoria Green
Witchford
Ely
Cambridgeshire CB6 2XB
United Kingdom
07981 945 662
enquiries@PiCAS.org.uk
www.PiCAS.org.uk

Stephanie Boyles, Wildlife Biologist
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
501 Front St.
Norfolk, VA 23510
757-622-7382, ext. 8328
StephanieB@peta.org

Sources Cited
Batz, Jeannette. “Pigeons Dropping.” St. Louis Riverfront Times 13 Jan. 1999
.
Broughton, P.D. “Parisians Build Home for Pigeons in Suburbs.” London Daily
Telegraph 8 Mar. 2003.

Der Spiegel. “War Against the Messengers of Peace.” 6 Jun. 2003.
Haag-Wackernagel, Daniel. “Regulation of the Street Pigeon in Basel.” Wildlife
Society Bulletin 23.2 (2002): 256-60.

Kanigher, Steve. “Family Files Suit Alleging Exposure to Pigeon Poison.” Las Vegas
Sun 3 Dec. 2003 2003/dec/03/515959641.html>.

Nottingham City Hospital. “Pigeon Control Update.” Dec. 2000
.

Family Files Suit Alleging Exposure to Pigeon Poison

December 03, 2003

Family files suit alleging exposure to pigeon poison
By Steve Kanigher
steve@lasvegassun.com
LAS VEGAS SUN

Shortly after moving into a Henderson apartment complex three years ago, Lisa Casey got light-headed whenever she stood up. Her headaches and dizziness led to vomiting. And it got just as bad for her youngest son, Shawn, who became so ill he missed 60 days of school and was held back a grade. Her other two sons also developed aches and pains.

Dr. Michael Casey, Lisa's husband and a surgical resident at University Medical Center, escaped illness. But his concern over his family's health led him to discover what he believed to be the culprit -- a controversial odorless bird poison that is legal in Nevada and throughout much of the country but banned in New York City and San Francisco, as well as in Great Britain.

In a lawsuit filed on Nov. 17, the Casey family alleged they were unwittingly exposed to Avitrol, which is commonly used in Nevada to ward off pigeons. The product is designed to scare off pigeons but kills many of them by attacking their nervous systems.

After first becoming ill in 2000, Lisa Casey had menstrual cycles every three weeks and, because of excessive hemorrhaging, underwent a complete hysterectomy in February 2001, the lawsuit stated. She also went from 130 pounds to 104 pounds in a single month.

Even now, she said she cannot pursue her hobby as an abstract acrylic painter because of low energy and depression.

"I still tire real easily," she said in her Las Vegas home. "I still have seizures and I get stressed out." Shawn Casey, who is now 12, was ill the entire winter of 2000-2001 and was found to have parasites in his gastrointestinal tract. The result was painful cramping. He missed so much school he was forced to repeat fourth grade.

He and his brothers, Benjamin, 16, and Scott, 14, still suffer aches and pains and are no longer able to participate in scouting activities, their parents said. "When Scott runs he starts to blank out and lose his vision," Michael Casey said.

While the chemical agent in Avitrol has been used experimentally to treat multiple sclerosis patients, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported in 1999 that no human poisonings had occurred through "ordinary use" of the toxic substance.

Unique civil lawsuit

What makes the civil lawsuit unique is that the family is attempting to prove that the illnesses were caused by the "ordinary use" of Avitrol -- to ward off pigeons -- but that the bird poison was applied improperly and without their knowledge.

There had been only two reported cases of humans who became ill after accidental exposure to the chemical agent contained in Avitrol, the EPA stated in 1999 in its latest update on the substance.

Those involved two Virginia adults who ingested the poison in 1978, believing it was an aphrodisiac. Both experienced abdominal discomfort, nausea and dizziness and one had seizures and needed a ventilator. They recovered after three days, the EPA reported.

The Casey lawsuit names as defendants Phoenix Pest & Termite Control of Nevada Inc. and the family's former residence, Galleria Palms Apartments at 625 Whitney Ranch Drive in Henderson.

The family alleges that the apartment management initially lied about the use of bird poison on the property.

"I just felt we were treated like cattle," Lisa Casey said bluntly. Phone messages for officials of the pest control company weren't returned. Craig Walsh, senior vice president of operations for apartment manager Standard Management Co., one of the defendants in the lawsuit, said "it was an incident we were aware of" but he had no further comment.

Legal strategy

Attorney Ronald Serota of Las Vegas, who is representing the family, said he purposely did not sue Avitrol Corp., the Tulsa, Okla., manufacturer of the toxic substance, because of legal strategy. But he said he would not be surprised if the lawsuit forced Nevada to ban Avitrol.

"I'm hoping the lawsuit raises public awareness of the dangers of Avitrol," Serota said. "There is a need to use certified applicators of Avitrol on a more consistent basis. Property managers also should tell residents what they're doing when they use Avitrol."

But Avitrol Corp. president Kelly Swindle said he is confident the plaintiffs will be unable to prove that his product caused their illnesses.

"We've actually never had a case against the product," Swindle said. "I feel quite confident that Avitrol was not the problem here."

Avitrol was developed by Phillips Petroleum Co. in the early 1960s and soon became the most widely used pigeon poison in the country. A white powder with the scientific name of 4-aminopyridine, it is added to grain baits such as corn kernels. It is most commonly applied on rooftops after the area has been pre-baited with untainted grains.

The intent, according to the manufacturer, is for a few birds to exhibit abnormal reaction immediately after eating the tainted kernels, scaringoff other members of the flock. The birds who eat the toxic kernels are expected to die, although it can take several hours for that to happen.

Avitrol has been criticized by animal rights activists who claim that too many birds are killed by pest control companies that apply maximum doses and that the slow death by poisoning is inhumane.

The criticism extends to the fact that many of the affected birds go into convulsions and appear to hallucinate before they die and that the poison is indiscriminate because it can kill other birds and mammals.

And the critics argue that pigeons will often return to the same location within months.

"There are more humane ways to solve conflicts with pigeons," John Hadidian, urban wildlife program director for the Humane Society of the United States in Washington, said.

Pigeon Control is a License to Print Money

Opinion
New York Bird Club and Pigeon Supporters
Re: Queens Courier Newspaper Article
Contact: editorial@queenscourier.com
lparajos@queenscourier.com

The late President Richard M. Nixon:
"I was not lying. I said things that later on seemed to be untrue."

Nothing sums the situation up better than the last reply submitted by the Queens Courier:
"THANK YOU. WE SIMPLY HATE PIGEONS."

"One thing is certain: pigeon control is worth billions, says Guy Merchant, director of UK-based Pigeon Control Advisory Service (PiCAS), a non-profit aiming to debunk the propaganda of the pest-control companies.

“It’s really a licence to print money,” says Merchant. While killing part of a pigeon population gives the impression that their numbers are reduced, he says in reality it increases the culled population by 15 to 30 per cent."

Source
____________________________________

A newspaper article recently written by Elana Moriarty, a media correspondent for a pigeon control company, has became a topic of disgust among our distribution list of pigeon lovers and supporters.

Although written under Opinion, it more appropriately should have been written under Advertisements, since it may be a Paid Advertisement.

The opinion "article" gives inaccurate and false information concerning pigeons and is nothing more than a blatant advertisement for pigeon control. Because the distorted article is not published as an advertisement, it is misleading in that the public may misconstrue it as fact.

The writer implies that the Minnesota Bridge incident was caused by pigeons, and it has been proven otherwise; the same for disease.

It is our intention to clear up the inaccuracies written by a saleswoman for a pigeon control company. These are exactly the types of articles that perpetuate lies and false myths about pigeons.

See email correspondence and rebuttals that follow below. Also note the dim witted replies by a representative of the Queens Courier.

Related Queens Courier article:
Pigeons are nuisance to local businesses
By Tonia N. Cimino
Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Local Councilmember Joseph Addabbo says he was alerted to the problem recently.“I’m on it,” he assured The Courier Sun. “The droppings can be a deterrent to shoppers. I have been in contact with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) [and other city agencies], and we are working with the city to do something. I am hopeful that by the spring of 2008 or so something will be done.” Addabbo explained that, “the city contracts with licensed exterminators to put up ‘needles’ to keep the pigeons from congregating.

Submissions to the Queens Courier:

Donald Jenner, Ph.D.
http://www.jenner.org/

In the January 23 number of Queens Courier, you publish an article by someone who works for a local exterminator agency, one Elana Moriarty. It would be helpful to note the errors in this article.

Moriarty claims "Ocular histoplasmosis, a fungal infection that eats away at the eyeball is just one of over sixty diseases that birds can transfer to humans." Histoplasmosis is caused by a common soil fungus; all gardeners are exposed to this regulary (it helps their plants grow).

The New York City Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene observes that "high exposure" — more than usual cleanup activities, occurring only when very lazy people have let years of accumulation build up — is necessary for the spores in bird droppings to infect people. Ordinary care — hand washing after cleanup, e. g. — is more than adequate caution.

Moriarty claims "Directly after last summer’s collapse of the Minnesota Bridge, readers heard about the structural damage that droppings and their acidic nature can cause." This canard was lofted by the rather foolish Simcha Felder, from the city's 44th councilmanic district; he has acknowledged deliberately misquoting his putative source, who has denied any such claim. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and other investigators have found that the bridge collapse resulted from poor engineering and the use of inadequate truss-plates.

Moriarty claims "Still, beyond avian flu and West Nile virus, diseases from birds are often glossed over." Avian flu has yet to be transmitted to the Americas. There is limited evidence that pigeons are vulnerable to avian flu in any case; one reputable scientist observes "Pigeons do not get avian influenza and don't carry the virus." [Dr. Cornelius Kiley, DVM, Canadian Food Inspection Agency] The evidence on West Nile Virus is mixed, but the most recent data indicates that pigeons, in particular, are neither vectors in themselves nor resevoirs for this disease. Moriarty has a litany of diseases that she trots out, presumably as reasons to employ the exterminators that employ her.

Contrary to the claims of this press release, published as if real in the Queens Courier, it is good to consider the view of public health scientists:
"The New York City Department of Health has no documented cases of communicable disease transmitted from pigeons to humans." - Dr. Manuel Vargas, New York City Department of Health.
"Pigeons are not a public health hazard. Nobody in public health is losing any sleep over pigeons." - Dr. Joel McCullough, Medical Director, Environmental Health, Chicago Department of Public Health.
"[...the Arizona Department of Health Services does] not have any documented human cases of disease which have been definitively linked to outdoor pigeons or pigeon droppings. When cases of diseases are reported (and by law [certain bird related zoonoses are] reportable diseases), VBZD staff conduct complete investigations to confirm the diagnosis and identify the source of infection. …Our case investigation data gathered so far, would suggest that pigeons are not significant as a cause of human disease in Arizona."
"We don’t see pigeon-related-disease problems..." "I don’t think they’re seeing them anywhere..." - Bill Kottkamp, Supervisor, Vector Control, St. Louis County Health Department.

In short, Moriarty seeks to scare people in to hiring her employers. Apparently there are people foolish enough to listen to such drivel, without attention to fact.

Pigeons are nice birdies. Each of them poops a bit (something like a tablespoon or so a day, from what I can observe, having cared for a few injured birds). It cleans up pretty easily (a good rainstorm does the job — or 15 minutes with a garden hose). As fellow-urbanites, these birds are models of tolerance (other birds cohabit with pigeons in the same territory). Pigeons even like people — they'd even be nice to Moriarty, I suspect, if she offered them peanuts (though in her case, she'd probably lace the nuts with cyanide — or avitrol, even if it is illegal in New York City).

Most New Yorkers realize this — always have; they feed the birds, they generally think the birds are an asset and if poop is a bit inæsthetic, well, adults can deal with this.

Shame on the Queens Courier staff; get yourself a better advertiser.

Lily:

I am sending you this letter in behalf of the New York citizens, that care for helpless pigeons that are becoming the scapegoat of unscrupulous people that are only looking for personal monetary gain and political advancement.

I don't want to think that the Queens Courier would want to be associated to that kind of people, furthermore, be accused of irresponsible and unprofessional journalism.

An article published by the Queens Courier on Wed Jan. 23 by your reporter Elana Moriarty, who is a media correspondent for BirdX, a pigeon exterminating company, is full of deceit and dishonesty.

None of the facts she claims about pigeon poop being harmful to humans are true, these are fabrications from a dishonest sales person.

To corroborate my statements I am quoting experts testimonies from verifiable sources, you will also find other facts about pigeons that are unknown to most "uninformed" people:

1) Saturday, November 17, 2007

Understanding Zoonotic Diseases of Pigeons in NYC
Dr. Anthony A. Pilny, DVM, Dipl ABVP (Avian):

The frequency of disease transmission from birds to humans is very LOW, but the young, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems should be cautious as bird to human disease transmission is known to occur.

Many of these diseases are transmitted by ingestion of food contaminated by fecal matter.

Prevention of most of these diseases, therefore, simply involves proper hygiene and sanitation, and common sense. Contact with pigeon droppings may pose a SMALL health risk.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists three human diseases known to be associated with birds (including pet birds such a parrots) and associated with pigeons/droppings:
histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, and psittacosis.

The FACTS:

Psittacosis - Since 1996, fewer than 50 confirmed cases were reported in the United States annually. In New York City, psittacosis is VERY RARE with less than ONE human case identified each year. According to the CDC, about 70% of infected people had contact with infected pet birds – not pigeons.

Cryptococcosis - Approximately 0.4-1.3 cases per 100,000 people in the general population are reported. It is very unlikely that healthy people will become infected even at high levels of exposure.

Histoplasmosis – An incidence is not reported so it is assumed to be low. Once again immunocompromised individuals are at greater risk and those in third world countries.

As one can see – risk of contracting disease from pigeons in NYC is very low and has not been proven to pose any public health threat. Diagnostic screening (medical testing) of the pigeon population in NYC for the few zoonotic diseases that exist has not been performed and would definitely shed light on the true incidence and risk. Routine cleaning of droppings (e.g. from windowsills) does NOT pose a serious health risk to most people. Some simple precautions can be taken to further reduce direct contact with droppings, such as wearing disposable gloves and clothes that can be washed after exposure. As far as I know – NYC hospitals are not inundated with patients sick from living in an environment with pigeons.

As an avian veterinarian who sees and treats pigeons, I believe there is little risk to myself and staff from working with these birds. I don’t have fear of becoming ill by walking around and visiting the parks, or just living here in NYC with our wonderful pigeons.

References: http://www.cdc.gov/
http://www.nyc.gov/

Another expert testimony on how the threat of human acquired diseases from pigeon is overly exaggerated.

2) Pigeon Article
Pigeons can be a nuisance, but they are not necessarily a health hazard. The term "rats with wings" came from a 1980 play, "Stardust Memories" starring Woody Allen. Allen used the term in the movie and apparently someone with a vested interest in misleading the public decided to use it in a campaign to drum up business for pigeon control.

The facts are just the opposite. Yes, there are some diseases that can be transmitted by pigeons, but no more so than any other bird, including such popular pets as parakeets, canaries, etc. Consider what some experts have said about pigeons and disease;
"...diseases associated with [pigeons] present little risk to people..."
Dr. Michael McNeil, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta.

"The New York City Department of Health has no documented cases of communicable disease transmitted from pigeons to humans." -
Dr. Manuel Vargas, New York City Department of Health.

"I am not aware of any reported cases of diseases that were transmitted by pigeons in Mohave County." -
Larry Webert, R.S., Mohave County Environmental Health Division

So much for the health problems caused by pigeons. They do have their attributes.

During World War 1, pigeons carried thousands of messages that saved many hundreds of lives. In World War 11 pigeons continued to be used. Radios were frequently not working due to damage or when unfavorable terrain rendered them almost useless. Pigeons continued to fly through enemy fire, and amazingly 95% of them completed their missions One pigeon in particular, named "Cher Ami" was a World War 1 Carrier Pigeon, one of 600 birds owned and flown by the U.S. Signal Corps. Cher Ami was originally bred by the British Signal Corps. He was transferred to the Americans after the war on Oct. 27, 1918.

Cher Ami delivered 12 important messages within the American sector at Verdun, France. On his last mission, Cher Ami, shot through the breast by enemy fire, managed to return to his loft. A message capsule was found dangling from the ligaments of one of his legs that had also been shattered by enemy fire. The message he carried was from Major Whittlesey's "Lost Battalion" of the 77th Infantry Division that had been isolated from other American forces. Just a few hours after the message was received, 194 survivors of the battalion were safe behind American lines. Cher Ami was awarded the French "Croix de Guerre" with Palm for his heroic service between the forts of Verdun. He died in 1919 as a result of his battle wounds. Cher Ami was later inducted into the Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame in 1931 and received a gold medal from the Organized Bodies of American Racing Pigeon Fanciers in recognition of his extraordinary service during World War 1.

Pigeons continued their valiant service during World War 11 and the Korean War. The Dickin Medal for Valor, an award only for animals , was given to 31 pigeons in World War 11, more than any other animal. (The next closest animals were dogs, with 8 medals).

Pigeons also have religious significance as well. Noah thanked God for them and Christ defended them. Doves are the symbols of love and peace. Are pigeons and doves the same? The dictionary defines doves as :

1. Any of various widely distributed birds of the family Columbidae, which includes the pigeons, having a small head and a characteristic cooing call.
2. A gentle, innocent person.
3. A person who advocates peace, conciliation, or negotiation in preference to confrontation or armed conflict.

Pigeons are among the most maligned of all animals, often compared to cockroaches and rats. Pigeons deserve the same respect and affection that we give to our companion birds, such as parakeets, parrots, canaries and the rest. When they live on our buildings and deface it, we can remove the birds by excluding them from the area, but we don't need to kill them.

When we exclude pigeons from a building, we should also remove any nesting material and treat the area with a low toxic pesticide to prevent bird mites from entering the building and biting the people inside.

Pigeons aren't the only birds with the capacity to share human emotions. The following true stories demonstrate that all animals are capable of love.

A bird watcher was walking through the woods in New Jersey when he came across what appeared to be a sick white-throated sparrow sitting on a log. As he approached the sparrow, he could see it was very weak. He sat down and was watching it when a hermit thrush landed on the log next to the sparrow. The thrush put some leaves in front of the sparrow, but the little bird didn't eat. Finally the thrush regurgitated some seeds it had eaten. The little sparrow started eating the seeds off the log and then started eating right out of the thrush's mouth. A short while later, the sparrow was rejuvenated and flew away. Thrushes and sparrows are not at all related to each other except that they are both birds. It is wonderful that a bird of one species would go out of its way to help a bird of another species.

askthebugman.com
http://www.askthebugman.com/

An Article in National Geographic provided another insight into reality. After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the fire's damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the sight he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings.
The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise. She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother remained steadfast. Because she had been willing to die, those under the cover of her wings would live.

Finally, I want to share a letter from a reader of my column who lives in Belen:

"I have a comment about cockfighting. I won't even get into the issues of culture, tradition and all that malarkey. The truth is the poor roosters that are raised to fight are wonderful, intelligent, creatures. We rescued one several years ago. He was 'thrown away' or escaped in an ally near our house. We found him struggling to get into a trashcan for food. When we picked him up, and brought him home we saw that he had his wing ripped off, one of his eyes was missing, as were a few of his toes, his combs where cut off and he had the walk of one who wears blades. A good 'ol boy told us he was probably fed gunpowder too, because once in a while he would 'go nuts'. But, good 'ol Brewster was a survivor. With a little TLC he became the "king" of the backyard. He fell in love with a little white cat and would follow her everywhere, and actually lay down and sleep beside her. The dogs respected him. He would come when you called him because he knew that his own personal 'produce section' was going to have fresh veggies dumped into it. He begged at the outside table with the dogs, and hung around the barbecue grill when someone was cooking. He was the sweetest most loving and beautiful rooster I've ever known. His retirement lasted for 4 years before we lost him to a bacterial infection. I still miss him, and am still disgusted at the cruelty that poor thing endured at the hands of the demons that fight roosters."

All of these true stories say the same thing, love is not a human emotion, love is a spiritual blessing shared by all living things and the only true emotion in existence.

Cardinal Newman was correct when he said:
"Now what is it that moves our very heart and sickens us so much as cruelty shown to poor brutes? I suppose this: first, that they have done us no harm; next, that they have no power whatever to resistance; it is the cowardice and tyranny of which they are the victims which make their sufferings so especially touching. There is something so very dreadful, so Satanic in tormenting those who have never harmed us, and who cannot defend themselves, who are utterly in our power."

I would really appreciate your posting in the Queens Courier, truthful and verifiable facts about pigeons, as well as your response to this email.

Thank you,
Lily
New York City

Marian Hailey-Moss:

Dear Folks -

I am writing to say I think you should put an apology in your paper for allowing a pigeon exterminator to say false and inflammatory statements of these birds that are a part of the life in our city.

The article is too biased to be taken seriously by your readers who may not be aware Ms. Moriarity has an ax to grind and a dollar to earn if people follow her rhetoric.

Thank you for you time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Marian Hailey-Moss
http://www.marianhaileymoss.com/
http://www.nyveggies.com/

Courier reply:

LPAJAROS, represented the Queens Courier responded:

"WE DO NOT APOLOGIZE FOR OP-ED PAGE OPINIONS. OPINIONS ARE ALWAYS BIASED! OPINIONS ARE ALSO NOT ARTICLES... PIGEONS COST OUR CITY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS EVERY YEAR."

Lily:

Then Queens Courier, if you feel that everybody and anybody has a right to an opinion -- you must post our opinions too -- that is only "fair" reporting, and we want to believe that the Queens Courier is a fair reporter of facts.

Please respond to us with a posting in your newspaper of our letters to you, as well as your response.

Sincerely,
People who Love and Respect All Animals (especially pigeons).

Ilona Grasberg:

I wish to voice my EXTREME displeasure at your allowing this woman to print her HATE- FILLED Misinformation regarding Pigeons!! "

The New York City Department of Health has no documented cases of communicable disease transmitted from pigeons to humans."

Guy Hodge, Naturalist for the Humane Society of the United States. "'People worry that pigeons carry disease,' but the danger is 'an exaggeration created by pest control companies looking for business.'" -

"[...the Arizona Department of Health Services does] not have any documented human cases of disease which have been definitively linked to outdoor pigeons or pigeon droppings. When cases of diseases are reported (and by law [certain bird related zoonoses are] reportable diseases), VBZD staff conduct complete investigations to confirm the diagnosis and identify the source of infection... Our case investigation data gathered so far, would suggest that pigeons are not significant as a cause of human disease in Arizona."

Courier reply:

IT IS AN OP-ED PAGE...FOR OPINIONS. HER OPINION WAS PRESENTED. PIGEONS SERVE NO PURPOSE AT ALL. THE COST THE CITY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS A YEAR IN CLEAN UP COSTS AND LAWSUITS.

Marjorie Caruso:

Dear Sirs:

We all now know that Ms. Moriarity has ulterior motives for writing her ludicrous articles. What concerns me is that your paper published the drivel! Perhaps you should do a bit more research, before you print rubbish. Or is that what you usually do?

Sincerely,
Marjorie Caruso
New York, New York

M. Cooper:

An Op-Ed Page should NOT be an advertisement. As a newspaper - You have an obligation to NOT mislead or miseducate the public you serve. You are also totally incorrect to state that Pigeons cost our city million of dollars every year.

As a native of Queens, I take absolute offense in the irresponsible decision made by your newspaper and in your arrogant and false responses.

M. Cooper

Margret Antognetti:

With all due respect...I hope since you refuse to set forth an apology to all animal lovers who read The Courier. I do hope in that case you were smart enough to get paid for advertising space in your paper from this women who is obviously out for her own gain.

I feel its a shame that you feel that opinions can not hurt and that "opinions are always biased" since I am in the journalism field in a much bigger venue then The Courier and that kind of attitude without adding in something from The Courier that "this is just the opinion of the person writing the advertisement, sorry article and not that of the paper".

If that was not put in after or before the article then in that case I find this very poor journalism and biased journalism on the part of the courier. As we know all papers unless spewing propaganda need to remain neutral if they deem to aspire to the continued respect of the people reading them.

Margret Antognetti

G.C. Hartsoe:

I was appalled to read the "opinion" article in the Jan. 23rd edition of the Courier newspapers called "Pigeon Poop Is Dangerous" which was submitted for publication by Elana Moriarity, whom I assumed was a DVM until I began to read the lies and misrepresentations in her article.

Later on I discovered that Ms. Moriarity is actually a spokesperson for a pigeon extermination company named BIRD-X, INC. and obviously was not concerned with the authenticity of her "factual information"---and neither was the Courier !

Needless to say, my respect for the Courier 's journalistic standing has been greatly diminished by the publication of this obviously contrived and misleading drivel.

Shame on you!!

G.C. Hartsoe

Courier Reply:

THANK YOU. WE SIMPLY HATE PIGEONS.

Mr. Parajos,

The attached e-mail from Marian Hailey-Moss was forwarded to me along with your arrogant response--which I would like to briefly discuss.

1) WE DO NOT APOLOGIZE FOR OP-ED OPINIONS. That's a given in the publishing world. But there is such a thing as intelligent selection of what will be published, especially if the opinion contains "factual information" which is far from being factual and in most cases is composed of outright lies.

2) OPINIONS ARE ALWAYS BIASED! This one really gets to me. My dictionary defines bias as being prejudiced, and prejudice is defined as "an adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge or examination of the facts.

3) is also a given.

4) PIGEONS COST OUR CITY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS EVERY YEAR. Another piece of "factual information" that has no verification. Even if this is true, where does the money go? For food, housing, education, obedience training, flight training. Perhaps to cover court costs because they are designated as "illegal aliens."

In closing, Mr. Parajos, I'd just like to say that you have given new meaning to the word "Biased."

Sincerely,
G.C. Hartsoe

Marian Isaac:

Dear Editor,

Re the editorial of 1-23-08, concerning pigeons, by Elana Moriarity:

This is an example of very poor journalism. It is actually a commercial for the pest control industry. It is full of misinformation about pigeons.

Check with a reputable avian veterinarian, or CDC epidemiology, to get the correct information. I assume that you don't have a fact-checking department. If you did, you wouldn't be publishing such misinformation.

Pigeons are not at all a significant health risk to humans. To write that they are such a risk to humans is hysteria and promotes hysteria, based on untruths.

Do the Courier's publishers have any sense of or responsibility for what happens when they advocate a viewpoint that promotes the killing of a species? Think about the implications of what you are doing when you write such condemnations.

The campaign to malign pigeons is generated by the pest control industry, solely to drum up business. By printing this rubbish, you are promoting for the business, and with information that consists of lies in print.

Pest companies poison the birds who die horribly. They also trap and then kill. Those that hire pest companies are typically told that the birds are not harmed in this process. Rather, that the birds are merely fed something that makes them disoriented and they go away. Not true. And when they are killed, more birds move to the vacant area. It results in an unending source of business for the pest companies that you are now advertising for.

There are a small number of pest control companies that use humane methods to move birds from problem areas. Killing them is inhumane and ineffective.

The main risk to human health involves diseases that humans contract from other humans. If your concern for public health is so great, what are you doing to educate people about basic human disease prevention?

I certainly think that the onus is on the Courier to atone for this disgraceful "editorial."
It would be only right and fair of you to get your facts straight.

There is a worldwide war on wildlife, with gross habitat destruction, elimination of their food supplies, and outright slaughter of species to extinction. The Passenger Pigeon, native to North America, was made extinct by a society that exploited and killed them until there was only one left, in a museum. They had formerly ranged across North America in great flocks that seemed unending. They were wiped out in a few decades.

You are not helping abate this same uncaring attitude by your irresponsible "editorial."

The excerpts from various writings below would be very appropriate to include in an atonement editorial, if you have the integrity to print one.

"So much for the health problems caused by pigeons. They do have their attributes. During World War I, pigeons carried thousands of messages that saved many hundreds of lives. In World War II, pigeons continued to be used in all terrains, where radios were inoperable or damaged. Pigeons have a tremendous homing urge, to get back to their lofts and their families. This made them a most effective means of message delivery during the war.

"Pigeons flew through tremendous enemy fire, as enemy forces barraged the birds with gunfire to prevent their messages from reaching allied forces. An amazing 95% of the pigeons completed their missions.

"One pigeon in particular, "Cher Ami" (Dear Friend), was a World War 1 Carrier Pigeon, one of 600 birds owned and flown by the U.S. Signal Corps. Cher Ami was originally bred by the British Signal Corps. He was transferred to the Americans after the war on Oct. 27, 1918.

"Cher Ami delivered 12 important messages within the American sector at Verdun, France. On his last mission, Cher Ami, was shot through the breast by enemy fire, but managed to return to his loft. A message capsule was found dangling from the ligaments of one of his legs that had also been shattered by enemy fire. The message he carried was from Major Whittlesey's "Lost Battalion" of the 77th Infantry Division that had been isolated from other American forces.

"Just a few hours after the message was received, 194 survivors of the battalion were safe behind American lines. Cher Ami was awarded the French "Croix de Guerre" with Palm for his heroic service between the forts of Verdun. He died in 1919 as a result of his battle wounds.

"Cher Ami was later inducted into the Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame in 1931 and received a gold medal from the Organized Bodies of American Racing Pigeon Fanciers in recognition of his extraordinary service during World War 1.

"Pigeons continued their valiant service during World War 11 and the Korean War. The Dickin Medal for Valor, an award only for animals , was given to 31 pigeons in World War 11, more than any other animal. (The next closest animals were dogs, with 8 medals)."

Pigeons also have religious significance as well. Noah thanked God for them and Christ defended them.

Birds, like mammals, display love of family and appreciation of life.
They protect their young with a dedication that not even many humans have.

"An article in National Geographic provided such an insight. After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the fire's damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground, at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he gently stuck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings.

"The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise. She could have flown to safety, but had refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze arrived and heat had scorched her small body, the mother remained steadfast. Because she had been willing to die, those under the cover of her body survived."

I hope you will do the right thing, print a correct and compassionate editorial, stop pandering to those that hate animals, and stop promoting a business based on fallacy and profit-seeking.

Sincerely,
Marian Isaac

Joanna Tierno:

How many people do you know that have become sick from pigeons? I don't know of any. I was also born with a condition called hypogammaglobulinemia, which is a primary immune deficiency and I am able to spend time with pigeons but have to be careful in my interactions with people. Humans carry illnesses that are easy for other humans to catch. Pigeon poop used to be used as fertilizer. It is no more toxic or dangerous than any other kind of poop. People simple have to hose down areas that have been pooped on, but many are lazy and rather do away with all living creatures instead. This is really sad. Bird watching and feeding can actually be very relaxing- & thus beneficial to people.

Please sign my petition-http://www.youchoose.net/campaign/petition_against_simcha_felders_proposal

Sincerely,
Joanna Tierno

Al Streit:

It's hard to improve on Don Jenner's criticism of this article.

The Queens Courier publishing an ad for an exterminator as an article means only that it's in favor of cruelty to animals. Forget about responsibility, morality, or even fact checking. Even a little research would have shown you that hosing off the pigeon poop is enough to protect from disease. There are a small handful of disease obtainable from pigeons, excluding bird flu and west Nille virus. But they virtually never occur. Salmonella transmission is very rare and you're more likely to get it from chickens or parrots. People get sick from other people.

This has to be part of the campaign to get rid of pigeons started by Andrew Blechman and continued now by Simcha Felder. There has never been a reason for it. Have their backers (the Humane Soc. of the US, for example) paid you?

And it's easy to keep pigeon off of things. The most effective deterrents are cheap wire devices, not things that try to fool the birds. In any case, pigeons are the only wild animals that think they belong with people, and if you would publish something true about them, you'd include how sweet they are as well as how harmless.

Many people are going to use the article as an excuse to continue the cruel things they already do to pigeons. Read about them and learn to like them.

Pigeon People, a Yahoo rescue, educational, and activist group for pigeons. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pijnpeople

Charis Palmer:

Girl...You need to get your facts straight by doing more research. You are so way off on this one it would be laughable if there were not those that believe everything they read. Shame on you for your deception.

Nona Smith:

Lady, you are way, way off base. The cost to NYC for the removal of graffitti.....NYC's shameful eyesore, left on our public spaces by HUMANS......way exceeds the cost of any pigeon poop clean up. Why did you write such gross falsehoods.....are you a pigeon hater???

Naomi Semeniuk:

The Pesticides that Elana Moriarty is infected with.
Forward to Ms. Moriarty.

To editorial@queenscourier.com:

When a paper prints a litany of lies that are so off the mark and totally fallacious they kill their credibility and humiliate themselves. The irresponsibility and stupidity of the Queens Courier editor to print the rubbish that Elana Moriarty wrote is tantamount to journalistic suicide.

Thank you Dr. Jenner, Ph.D for your scholastic rebuttal to Ms. Moriarty in your accurate scientific synopsis regarding the shameful debacle of mistakes that Ms. Moriarty made. Dr.Turi an astro psychologist is famous for saying "Knowledge is power and ignorance is evil. Yes in this case ignorance is evil in that it accuses a species in this case rock doves of being lethal when they are not, but it's the human who wrote that piece of distorted trash who's perpetuating the evil lethal lies.

Any dummy with a zero IQ can spray a pesticide without knowing the fatal side effects that the pesticides pose to public safety and to all forms of life human and animal. Anyone who represents a pesticide company is in alignment with monstrous diseases that rear their ugly heads and kill lives and the environment. They do not serve society; they defraud society.

How about DDT which was first brought into the public consciousness by Rachel Carson in her immortal "Silent Spring?" I think anyone who works around pesticides needs to stay away from the public because they pose the greatest threat to our environment, to humans and to all animals.

Along with Plum Island that's a breeding ground for man made weapons of mass destruction on animals, humans and the environment, Bird X and all of these pesticide companies need to be investigated by the Comptroller's office and the Department of Health and they need to be shut down, because they truly pose a major threat to all. A skull symbol and an X is what these toxic pesticide companies stand for and the extermination of companies like BIRD X would serve the public safety, the landscape and all living beings human and non human very well! Biological warfare is touting its poisons on the public consciousness and is peddling its cocktails of carnage by infecting all living things. Ms.Moriarty and the Queens Courier are both beneath contempt, but at the end of the day their dirty laundry is exposed to all who will speak the truth unabashedly and with the scholarship to support the real truth.

The Atomic Energy Commission at the time the atomic bomb was unleashed also said that it posed no public danger, but a trail of victims proved otherwise. That has cost the system millions and billions. I'm sure that Ms. Moriarty is one who would say that any toxic substance is good for you as long as it poses a hefty profit for her. The payback comes later when the toxins build up and destroy the human condition. The improper hygiene is in the pesticide infected minds and bodies of people like Ms. Moriarty, not in the birds! Papers like the Queens Courier also need to clean up their act or else fold all together. Pigeons love to bathe themselves and love it when it rains.

One can NOT bathe or wash away pesticides any more than the 9/11 heroes who were dying and have died of toxic fumes and toxic asbestos from 9/11, and other 9/11 toxic particulates can bathe their ill fated sicknesses away. They were also told by Governor Whitman at the time that the air was safe which was a fatal criminal lie for many. This kind of reprehensible misinformation propaganda is costing millions and billions in lives and dollars!! They deserved better! Those who peddle misinformation propaganda that kill should be held accountable.

Pigeons do not have toxic fumes that kill, but you Ms. Moriarty sure have the toxic ignorance and fallout to make a clown of yourself. The editor of the Queens Courier was NOT acting in the best professional interest of the public by allowing this low level sloppy standard of journalism to get published.

The Minnesota Bridge was structurally dangerous because of faulty engineering and its collapse had absolutely nothing to do with pigeon droppings no more than your toxic pesticide laced droppings Ms.Moriarty could bring a structure down.

Again shoddy structures built by profiteers accelerating their deadlines for completion with little or no conscience or moral responsibility for public safety is costing millions and billions.

Over and over again the history records show that these extraordinary birds have the right stuff for valor in war and do not carry avian flu. Ms. Moriarty has never heard of Biowarfare labs and what's created in them.

Ms. Moriarty is also probably unaware that at Bird Paradise in upstate NY there's a walk of honor commenorating the pigeons who died for America. This is a nature walk we all must take. At Bird Paradise, Peter Dubacher the CEO, has a paradise setting for birds of all species in NY state and has honored pigeons who served America as treasures of the land who're worthy of preservation and the highest respect. This has become an NY upstate landmark for all nature devotees.

There were 20,000 pigeons, all feathered extraordinary heroes during the two world wars who died so that humans could be free and so that America would be safer and free from the toxins of oppression. The loathsomeness of toxic people such as Ms. Moriarty can not kill the worthiness, the courage and the indelible beauty of these birds.

It's a pity that Ms. Moriarty has no other talent then to peddle malicious untruths about pigeons and to peddle toxins into the already toxic embedded atmosphere.

It's the exterminators with the pesticide companies Ms. Moriarty represents and the Queens Courier who pose a real public threat because propagandistic drivel based on filthy lies costs lives and burdens the taxpayers more and more.

I also think that those who get fatally sick as a result of working for pesticide companies and learn too late that their illnesses were the result of pesticide exposure to their vulnerable systems do have the right to sue the companies. Perhaps the exterminators from Bird X should start studying what they're peddling and stop the killings! A license to kill is a loathsome abhorrent way to make a living.

Pesticides are detrimental and cause irreversible immune system collapse and irreparable damage. Ms. Moriarty is the agent of death, and her curse on nature will backfire with a vengeance.

Dr. Anthony Pilny, an avian specialist vet who's an authority, know that pigeons do not pose a threat. His knowledge is infallible on this subject. He works with them often and is a certified highly educated professional who has stated that psittacosis is very rare, and that the CDC has stated that 70% of infected people had contact with infected bird pets and not pigeons. Dr. Pilny, the avian vet specialist and authority on birds and exotics, is a great asset to the community and is saving the lives of these feathered heroes every day. He's at the top of his profession and has brought life, energy and the kind of human and humane enlightenment that brings inspiration to all.

Ms. Moriarty had better look into the meth peddlers, the angel dust and heroine cocaine peddlers out there that she would mingle with very well since pesticides are her bread and butter. These agents of death have a pyramid of bodies that they snatch life from every day and also burden the system with millions and billions because our health system is no longer sustainable.

We'll fight to save the birds and expose the pesticides that Ms. Moriarty is infected with. We also do not need inferior amateur yellow journalism that the Queens Courier is known for.

Naomi Semeniuk

Jason Williams:

Folks:

I am wondering what tangible, irrefutable proof you have to buttress your weak (specious, glib) arguments about pigeon defecation causing or transmitting diseases (well, unless some mentally-deficient individual were to, say, eat the feces)? It is rather irksome that for some reason certain animals (pigeons, geese) become termed nuisance animals; when in fact I can think of at least 100 humans that should be put to death before any animal. We're treading a treacherous slope, and I hope the HSUS or PETA files a lawsuit against NYC.

The FACTS:

Psittacosis - Since 1996, fewer than 50 confirmed cases were reported in the United States annually. In New York City, psittacosis is VERY RARE with less than ONE human case identified each year. According to the CDC, about 70% of infected people had contact with infected pet birds – not pigeons.

Cryptococcosis - Approximately 0.4-1.3 cases per 100,000 people in the general population are reported. It is very unlikely that healthy people will become infected even at high levels of exposure.

Histoplasmosis – An incidence is not reported so it is assumed to be low. Once again immunocompromised individuals are at greater risk and those in third world countries.

As one can see – risk of contracting disease from pigeons in NYC is very low and has not been proven to pose any public health threat.

A professional writer harboring disdain for unprofessional & sensationalistic journalism,

Jason Williams,
Poughkeepsie, NY

"When a true genius appears, you can know him by this sign: that all the dunces are in a confederacy against him." - Jonathan Swift

Francine Wilvers:

Apparently the Exterminator Company has a habit of writing Op Ed letters and use this free space to advertise at no cost. This is perfectly legal, but since it has come to be known that the writers of the Op Ed are connected to Exterminators, who stand to profit by portraying pigeons as health problems, the public should be alerted and made aware of such sly, underhanded dishonesty duping the public.

Francine Wilvers

Sharon Tracy, P.T.:

Regarding the statement: "Pigeons cost our City millions of dollars a year:"

Yes - also parks, parades, fireworks, Shakespeare in the Park, and many other arts programs, are all among those things that " ... cost the City millions ..." Is it being suggested that we go to a more utilitarian financial plan? Eliminating perhaps those things that have no practical value? I see the point, but upon consideration I have personally decided that I am in support of maintaining that which graces us with beauty - in spite of the maintenance considerations.

I have come to enjoy watching pigeons, partially due to learning about them through organizations such as "Pigeon Watch" (a national organization that many children are part of), and can now, for example, identify the seven colorations of pigeons. And yes, they do make a mess sometimes. It would seem that all things living make a mess; trees for example ...... Just in case someone is about to comment that trees are not comparable, are not "dirty," I submit for consideration that trees cause MUCH illness for millions of allergy sufferers; pigeons do not. The fact that pigeons are not actually a potential threat to our health is probably news to many. The ubiquitous and deliberate propaganda (and there is simply no other word for it) from the extermination business has been enormously successful in promoting pigeon phobia - and huge profits for the industry. They originally started with the e extermination of rats and roaches. The marketing then expanded to include all urban wildlife. Their "control" could rescue you from the "threat" of this wildlife - all of which was revealed to be a nuisance at best, and a potential hazard to your very life at worst. Possibly true of mosquitoes ..... Now, few urbanites value interaction with city wildlife, rather they view the meager connection that we could have as ...... a nuisance at best and a health hazard at worst. Squirrels are viewed as not funny and cute - they are a nuisance. Fast forward to .... yes, extermination (with no regard to humane treatment by any real standards or by standards in EU countries, bye the way.) Use raccoon proof trash cans? No .... exterminators to the rescue again. This marketing campaign, though wildly successful, showed no compunctions about flat out lying either. Pr a ctically all of us grew up believing that pigeons were a disease threat. Yet, the statistics regarding pigeon to human disease transmission show that it is more than staggeringly low; it is virtually NON - EXISTENT. NYC DOHMH records an average of 1 - 3 cases per year, ALL of which are from pigeons kept as pets, not from feral pigeons. Even when your job is to clean up after pigeons, you are far less likely to contract a transmissible disease that if you clean up in a hospital. And nothing against parrots, but the transmission of disease from them is very notable greater.

I have seen people who cut down 50 year old, six story, trees because they did not like to clean up leaves and messy berries. But I believe that trees grace us with far more beauty than mess. I also feel lucky to be able to receive the nurturing grace that urban wildlife, including pigeons, bestows. Simple ignorance creates barriers of misunderstanding. Many studies have shown that ignorance creates prejudice and judgement. However, it is also true that some seem to have a need to hold onto their prejudices, even in light of knowledge that does not support their harsh judgement. Wolf hatred is a prime example of this. Even as I write, the Bush administration is working hard to promote the mass slaughter of 80% of the wolf population in some western states. It seems not to matter that there is not even one shred of evidence to support such action; rather it is clear that wolves create a very good and very important nt ecosystem balance. (Fortunately, there is a huge pro-environment and wildlife movement afoot that has every intention of stopping this slaughter.) I do not think that all pigeon hatred can be eliminated, even when people who have long been duped, are informed of the facts. But I believe that it will make one heck of a difference to a very many people.

Sharon Tracy, P. T.
Brooklyn, N. Y.

Anne Ardolino:

The article about pigeons was totally false, and I'm surprised at you guys for printing that garbage.

The opinion was very harmful and incorrect; besides a little secret you might not be aware of, but pigeons can live up to thirty years under good conditions. City pigeons have about three years at best. They live hard lives and don't deserve the hostility often heaped upon their shoulders. They're actually sweet and very intelligent birds.

Anne Ardolino
New York City

Other correspondence received:

Claudie (brandeesbunch@yahoogroups.com):

I sure hope that you and your friends will write letters to the editor to refute those claims.

You can use some of the info from NYC's own Board of Health here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/epi/epi-pigeon.shtml and all the references here: http://peopleforpigeons.blogspot.com/2007/11/understanding-zoonotic-diseases-of.html . Note the word "small" in, "Contact with pigeon droppings may pose a small health risk", and read about the possible diseases and the unlikelihood of infection.

I would also point out to the editor that the original article appears to be a blatant advertisement; clearly, the author has a vested interest in scaring the public about this non-issue!
------------------------------------------------------

Woody Allen movie coined the phrase 'pigeons are rats with wings. In my opinion, Woody Allen is a pervert; (who adopted a child from Asia; had relationships and then married his own adopted daughter.

Puke on Woody Allen -- he should have been arrested since he's a pimp -- and that's my opinion.
-----------------------------------------------------
Save the Pigeons of Trafalgar Square, London

The original article was just so full of lies. Elana Moriarty knew she was telling lies, pretty much the same as the Mayor of London has told about the pigeons in the Square.

Rowan Anderson
http://savethepigeons.org/

Paris Installs Pigeon Lofts to Control Their Population

Paris Installs Pigeon Lofts to Control Their Population
By Gregory Viscusi

Jan. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Paris is installing pigeon lofts throughout the city in its latest attempt to control the population of the birds that leave their droppings on the French capital's monuments.
City authorities aim to encourage pigeons to nest in these lofts and then sterilize their eggs while the birds are out feeding.

The first of the 20,000-euro ($29,000) pigeon houses was installed yesterday in a garden in the working class 20th arrondissement on the city's eastern edge. At least 20 lofts will be installed in city parks, where most of Paris's estimated 80,000 pigeons gather lured by locals who feed them, said Yves Contassot, the deputy mayor for environmental affairs.

``We don't want to eliminate pigeons from the city, just to control their population,'' Contassot said in an interview at the base of one of the new five meter (16 feet) tall constructions. ``They cause a lot of damage to buildings and monuments.''

Paris's efforts mirror similar attempts being made in cities across the globe. Venice, New York and London have instituted bans on feeding pigeons in areas where they congregate.

In New York, City Councilman Simcha Felder on Nov. 12 proposed a $1,000 fine for feeding the winged creatures. Across the Atlantic, where London Mayor Ken Livingstone labeled them ``flying rats,'' feeding the birds in Trafalgar Square can bring a 50 pound ($98) fine.

Other Efforts
Los Angeles has begun a trial use of pigeon birth control. In Basel, Switzerland, pigeon populations have been reduced by an approach that includes stealing their eggs and replacing them with fakes, fooling the birds into thinking they have reproduced. Other cities have used hawks to scare pigeons from their perches.

In the 1980s, Paris used nets to trap and kill pigeons, leading to protests from animal rights groups. Poisons are ineffective against pigeons, Contassot said.

The new Paris pigeon houses, made of galvanized steel and green-painted wood, sit two meters off the ground. Up to 200 pigeon couples can nest at a time.

Employees of Srep, a pest control company based in suburban Paris, will enter each pigeon house at least once a week when the birds are out feeding, and will sterilize all but one of each couple's eggs. A vigorous shake is enough to kill the embryo, Contassot said. The eggs will be put back in place so as not to alert the mother.

An experimental project in a Paris park since 2003 prevented the birth of 5,000 pigeons, Contassot said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Gregory Viscusi in Paris at gviscusi@bloomberg.net Last

Illegal Avitrol Used to Control Pigeons in Worcester, Mass.

Article published Dec 30, 2007
Nonlethal means touted for nuisance bird control
Chemical Avitrol causes pigeons great suffering

By Danielle M. Williamson
TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
dawilliamson@telegram.com

In her nine years helping sick and injured wildlife, Sigrid Warren had never seen anything like what she witnessed this summer and fall. First, the Gardner woman tried to save two pigeons that violently seized and convulsed. A few weeks later, she came to the aid of a mourning dove with half of its tail ripped out, unable to walk. Meanwhile, colleagues saw pigeons, a sparrow and a blue jay drop from the sky. In October, the city’s animal control officer brought her a ruffed grouse that had flown into a store window and died. After unsuccessful attempts to save the birds, Mrs. Warren learned that several downtown businesses had hired a pest control company to use chemical-treated corn kernels to rid their rooftops of pesky pigeons. Suddenly, the previously baffling bird injuries made sense.

“I’m not trying to advocate that we have 10,000 pigeons in town,” said Mrs. Warren, a certified wildlife rehabilitator. “But animals — not just pigeons — that get into Avitrol can die miserable deaths.”

Mrs. Warren can’t prove that the unusually high number of bird deaths, or the disappearance of the hawk that normally watches over her backyard, are directly attributable to a chemical that pest control companies use to control nuisance birds. Necropsies are costly, and she already had disposed of some of the birds before she learned that Avitrol could have been a factor. From her experience, however, she suspects that some of the birds ate the treated corn, became disoriented, and suffered fatal injuries by flying into cars and windows, or by becoming vulnerable to attack.

Waltham Services, a pest control company permitted by the state to use Avitrol, says the right mixture of the chemical with corn kernels is an effective means of keeping pigeons away from the roofs of clients, but acknowledged that its sometimes lethal effects makes it a less than an ideal solution.

Even the Environmental Protection Agency, which regulates Avitrol, notes in a September report that the chemical poses “an acute risk” to nontarget species, including hawks.

Wildlife rehabilitators and an international organization that offers pigeon control solutions tout nonlethal options to ultimately reduce the pigeon population, and question why Avitrol, which is banned throughout much of Europe and in New York City, is legal here.

Worcester, meanwhile, has naturally reduced its flock of Canada geese, which, like pigeons, are annoying mainly because of their frequent defecation on public property. “Avitrol doesn’t reduce the pigeon population at all, and we’ve never used it to kill off a flock,” said Richard C. Berman, technical manager for Waltham Services. “Basically, we’re moving the problem from point A to point B.”

The mixture of harmless and chemically treated corn is meant to frighten away pigeons that see other members of their flock become distressed from it. Mr. Berman said that while his company offers nonlethal pigeon control solutions, including netting and bird spikes, Avitrol is the most popular because it is the least expensive.

Gardner officials estimate at least 24 pigeons died over the late summer and early fall, while Waltham Services had permits from the state Division of Fisheries & Wildlife to place Avitrol-treated corn kernels at popular pigeon roosting areas.

The company is still using Avitrol in Gardner, but the city has not seen multiple deaths since the fall. Mr. Berman said at the time it was unusual to see so many deaths, especially since his company has been working in Gardner for years. Typically, there are more deaths when a pest control company starts a program, he said.

Since there is no requirement for pest control companies, clients or the state to notify municipalities of the ongoing use of Avitrol, Gardner officials could not immediately explain the deaths. The problem mirrored an incident in Milford in summer 2004, when, unknown to town officials, Milford Regional Medical Center hired a company to use Avitrol, and handfuls of pigeons died in the hospital parking lot.

“We must have tested seven or eight pigeons for West Nile virus,” said Milford Health Agent Paul A. Mazzuchelli. “When people found out it was Avitrol, there was a public outcry.” Milford has since used Avipel, touted as a nonlethal repellant, to keep pigeons away from its bell tower at Town Hall.

Guy Merchant, founder of the nonprofit Pigeon Control Advisory Service, based in the United Kingdom, works with cities and towns throughout the world to naturally reduce the pigeon population, and recently started advising New York City councilors.

Not only is Avitrol dangerous to the birds that feed near or prey on pigeons, but it is also an ineffective means of controlling pigeon problems in the long term, he said. “It staggers me that Avitrol’s allowed to be used as irresponsibly as it is in America,” Mr. Merchant said. “By using lethal means, all you’re doing is increasing flock size. The only beneficiaries are the pest control companies that offer the service.”

When pigeons lose members of their flock, their instinctive response is to “breed open-endedly” to bring flock size back, Mr. Merchant said. His 35 years of experience in the pigeon control field show him that pigeons that lose part of their flock to death will overcompensate, ultimately increasing the flock by 10 percent to 20 percent.

Pigeon Control Advisory Service recommends several solutions for pigeon control: discouraging residents from feeding the birds in congested areas, setting up feeding areas away from the downtown area, and erecting artificial breeding facilities. The group offers its consulting for free. The breeding facilities — 8-foot by 6-foot structures that resemble a garden shed — encourage pigeons to roost and feed in a controlled area. Volunteers, often wildlife rehabilitators, such as Mrs. Warren, go to the structures once a week to remove the pigeons’ eggs and replace them with dummy eggs, Mr. Merchant said.

An article published Feb. 9, 1993, in The New York Times documents the success of such facilities in Basel, Switzerland, starting in 1988. Led by a team of researchers, students and residents built nine pigeon lofts from which they removed 1,200 eggs a year. After 50 months, the pigeon population had fallen 50 percent.

Worcester officials have reduced the city’s population of Canada geese by implementing a program similar to what Pigeon Control Advisory Service recommends for pigeon control. Neighborhood volunteers monitor the birds’ nests in the spring and put vegetable oil on the eggs, ensuring they don’t hatch. James G. Gardiner, acting director of health and human services, said this practice has reduced the city’s flock by 75 geese. “What a difference this has made with the concerts at Elm Park,” Mr. Gardiner said. The city also has a no-feeding ordinance, which has been effective because of an extensive education program, Mr. Gardiner said, adding the pigeon population has visibly decreased since the ordinance was created in spring 2006. Mr. Gardiner said Worcester has not used Avitrol, and believes that reducing the birds’ feeding sources is one of the best long-term solutions.

Mrs. Warren, meanwhile, is hoping for a time when the downtown Gardner area she now calls “the kill zone,” is free of Avitrol, and she doesn’t have to fear for the lives of songbirds and hawks. Gardner Animal Control Officer Lisa A. Gaudet, who took injured pigeons and birds to wildlife rehabilitators, said she felt horrible that Mrs. Warren spent hours trying to help the animals, only to find there was no way to save them. “I’m sure people who feel they have no choice but to use it (Avitrol) would be willing to consider other options if there was a plan in place,” Ms. Gaudet said.

Pigeon Birth Control

Hollywood’s Pigeons To Get The Pill
27 December, 2007

(AP) Hollywood residents believe they’ve found a humane way to reduce their pigeon population and the messes the birds make: the pill.

Over the next few months a birth control product called OvoControl P, which interferes with egg development, will be placed in bird food in new rooftop feeders.

“We think we’ve got a good solution to a bad situation,” said Laura Dodson, president of the Argyle Civic Association, the group leading the effort to try the new contraceptive. “The poop problem has become unmanageable and this could be the answer.”

Community leaders planned to announce the OvoControl P pilot program, which Dodson believes is the first of its kind in the nation, at a news conference Monday.

Dodson said representatives from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals contacted her group with the idea to use OvoControl P. Other animal rights groups, including the Humane Society of the United States, support the contraceptive over electric shock gates, spiked rooftops, poisons or other methods.

It’s estimated about 5,000 pigeons call the area home. Their population boom is blamed in part on people feeding the birds, including a woman known as the Bird Lady, who was responsible for dumping 25-pound bags of seed in 29 spots around Hollywood.

OvoControl P has been registered with the state Department of Pesticide Regulation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Developed by Rancho Santa Fe-based Innolytics, the substance contains nicarbazin, which interferes with an egg’s ability to develop or hatch, said Erick Wolf, Innolytics chief executive.

The pilot program was expected to show results within a year, and the Hollywood area’s pigeon population is expected to shrink by at least half by 2012, Dodson said.
________________________________________________________

Los Angeles is working on being the second city in the state to successfully reduce pigeon and squirrel populations by using birth control rather than killing the animals.

The LA Times reports that squirrel birth control known as GonaCon, which succeeded in cutting squirrel's birth rate by 66% in 2004 in Berkeley, was piloted in Palisades Park but then thwarted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture which deemed the park too small to continue the program.

In Hollywood, though, according to the Times, officials have high hopes for reducing the pigeon population and their tendency to "roost on utility lines, tree branches and elsewhere, depositing their droppings on cars, buildings and even residents" with a birth control method called OvoControl P, which the pigeons eat from feeders.

The pilot program is expected to start showing results within a year, as long as the pigeons consume the kibble once a day. If proven as effective as in previous studies, Hollywood's pigeon population is expected to shrink by at least 50% by 2012, according to the contraceptive's manufacturer.
_________________________________________________________

Councilman Wants Birth Control for Pigeons
11/02/2007
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3806167

A councilman has a unique solution to reducing the pigeon population at the Staten Island ferry terminals: Put them on birth control. Councilman James Odd says OvoControl-P, a drug that renders pigeon eggs unhatchable, could help to thin out the pesky birds and thus the droppings they leave behind inside the terminals where they like to nest.

Oddo says the drug which would be mixed into standard seed has not yet been approved for pigeons by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. A similar product meant for geese was given the OK last month.

Source: Staten Island Advance.

Pigeon War - Not Over by Christmas (London, England)

Pigeon War - Not Over by Christmas
December 23, 2007

On Monday 17th November 2003 feeding pigeons in London’s Trafalgar Square became illegal and anyone caught feeding the birds faced a prosecution and a £50 fine. The penalty fine has since been increased to £500.

In 2002, before the feeding ban was imposed, London’s mayor Ken Livingstone hired a pair of Harris Hawks to fly over the Square and scare the pigeons away. This measure cost £44,343 in 2002, their first year, rising to £78,241 in 2003/2004. In 2005/2006 they cost £38,160. Figures show that “Operation Harris Hawk” resulted in the deaths of 121 pigeons and cost tax-payers an average of £90 per bird and bringing the pigeon population of Trafalgar Square down by 121 could hardly be considered a large step forward in the science of pigeon management.
One wonders why the pigeon population has to be “managed” at all. Yes, they do make a mess but hardly more so than people dropping gum and litter in the Square. Surely the pigeons have been an integral part of Trafalgar Square for a century or more. Tourists expect to see them there. I remember standing in the Square as a small boy in the 1960s, with seed on my arms and being smothered in pigeons. I enjoyed the novel experience and I remember getting “hit” a few times by pigeon poo. My father told me that it was “lucky” and that whenever it happened I should make a wish. I survived the poo. I didn’t catch any nasty diseases and lived on to tell the story forty years later.

Since 2003 the perceived wisdom of banning pigeon-feeding has been adopted by councils throughout the land and people have even been fined for feeding birds in their own back gardens. In 2006 Portsmouth City Council managed to fine Ruth Shorter £100 for a “littering offence”. She was dropping bird seed for pigeons near her home. She was taken to court and had to pay an additional £250 in costs. The court heard how Mrs Shorter suffered from depression but took “great pleasure” in feeding the pigeons. One wonders how much the NHS is paying to treat her depression now that she is unable to feed the birds.

When the ASBO (Anti-social Behaviour Order) was created we all rubbed our hands together with glee and imagined that at long last something would be done to curb badly behaved yobs. Little did we know that the new powers were to be used against Bernard Humbleton, a 66-year-old bird lover with terminal cancer and Graham Branfield who had the temerity to feed birds with left-overs in his own back garden. Oldham Council are considering an ASBO for Dawn Benson and Norma Hughes faces eviction if she continues to feed the birds in her front garden.
All over the country from Trowbridge to Derby councils are waging war against the humble pigeon. Why do some people hate pigeons so much?

Are we forgetting the valiant pigeons who have served their country in times of war? Should we stop feeding Chelsea Pensioners too? A pigeon called Gustav was the first to bring back news of D-Day to the UK. He was awarded the “Dickin Medal” along with 31 other pigeons; all birds that carried secret messages during WWII. Their story was recently made into a Hollywood film, “Valiant” staring Ewan MacGregor.

In 2004 the Princess Royal unveiled a memorial sculpture to the animals that served and died alongside British and allied troops and a batch of pigeons was released as a part of the unveiling ceremony. In the same year a Dicken medal awarded to a pigeon called “Commando” was auctioned in London.

A loophole in the law meant that until recently pigeons could be fed from the North side of Trafalgar Square but since this loophole was closed the pigeons have been dying in droves and this week an organisation called the “Pigeon Action Group” held a candlelight vigil in the Square for 2,500 birds. Post mortem tests have shown that the birds have been literally starving to death.

According to the BBC News today, Westminster Council’s efforts to ban feeding does not end with the birds. They are now trying to ban charities from running soup kitchens for homeless people and their typically “Orwellian” justification defies common sense. In a masterful piece of “doublespeak” they claim that it is the soup kitchens themselves which actually keep people on the streets; an interesting-sounding but plainly nonsensical intellectual justification for those minor local bureaucrats who already have warm homes and enough to eat but who would like to “eliminate” homeless people.

My only worry is that this attempt to “eliminate” could see our homeless people eventually suffering the same fate as the pigeons.

PICAS International To Cease Working with PeTA

This week PiCAS International made the difficult decision to bring its longstanding working relationship with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA USA) to a close as a result of differences in approach to the issue of pigeon control. For a number of years PiCAS International has supported the work of PeTA in the USA where the provision of non-lethal and humane pigeon control systems are concerned and PeTA has, in turn, recommended the PiCAS approach widely.

Recently, PeTA made the decision to back a new oral contraceptive drug, OvoControl P, designed for use with pigeons and produced by an American pharmaceutical company called Innolytics (please see posts dated August 4th and August 6th 2007). PiCAS International made it clear to PeTA that it could not and would not back the use of a pharmaceutical drug when tried and tested and completely safe methods of birth control already exist in the form of PiCAS’ own egg removal/replacement programme. Other, more worrying issues have been raised in respect of the long-term use of OvoControl P where resistance to one of the most common causes of pigeon mortality is concerned - coccidiosis (please see comments posted on the August 4th post).

Although PiCAS International will no longer be working in tandem with PeTA over the issue of pigeon control, the PiCAS group still wholeheartedly supports the work of PeTA in other sectors of wildlife control and indeed its work to promote and maintain wildlife habitats.

Source: http://www.picas.org

We Didn't Mean For You to Find Out We Kill Birds (Washington, DC)

Sun Washington Post Staff Writer - Lena H.
B01Metro
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
We Didn't Mean for You to Find Out We Kill Birds

After word got around Sunday night that several Metro stations had been temporarily closed due to dozens of dead birds appearing around them, Metro officials spent the day yesterday trying to figure out how to explain away the fact that the mistake their contractor had made was not that they had poisoned the birds -- merely that they had poisoned the birds at the wrong time of day, and didn't have a chance to clean up the carcasses before commuters showed up.

In today's Post we see that news traveled quickly to the Humane Society of the United States, who quickly contacted Metro officials and said they'd like to help them find humane ways to keep birds out of stations.

Now Metro says they will consider changing their bird-killing policies. A Metro spokesperson explained that they contract with a local company, Dixon's Pest Control, on an as-needed basis and only as "a last resort" to get rid of birds after customers and employees complain about droppings. The agency says it also uses netting and spikes to control the bird population. Of three other major transit systems polled by the Post, none of them said they use poison to get rid of birds.

It's interesting to note the different standards we apply to different kinds of pests. No doubt far fewer people would object to poisoning rats, which are also a big problem for the city, but pigeons, which carry just as many diseases and leave behind even bigger messes -- well we can't just go killing them, now can we?

This isn't to suggest that we think Metro was right. If there are humane alternatives to keeping birds out of Metro stations, then they should be put in place. But based on the information that's come out since Sunday, it looks as though Metro has been quietly killing pigeons and other small birds when they felt they needed to for at least 15 years. Is it really that no one knew about this practice for all that time, or is it more likely that those who are objecting now are just upset about having seen a bunch of dead birds?

Consider Other Ways to Get Rid of Birds

Metro officials said yesterday they might reconsider their longtime policy of poisoning pigeons and starlings after a contractor failed to clean up dead birds at several Metro stations Sunday, closing three stations and stalling trains for hours. After hearing news reports about the poisoned birds, executives of the Humane Society of the United States contacted Metro officials yesterday and offered to discuss more humane ways to keep birds out of stations, according to Maggie Brasted, director of the society's urban wildlife conflict resolution program. "We want to bring them good practical solutions," she said.

"We think that using poison is not very humane." Paul Gillum, director of plant maintenance at Metro, said killing the birds "is not something Metro enjoys doing, but it's sometimes a necessity to provide proper service to our customers." But, he added, he plans to meet with the Humane Society experts. "If there's another way to do business, we will look at it and see if we can make changes."

Metro officials said they have contracted with Dixon's Pest Control of the District for the past 15 years on an as-needed basis to get rid of pesky birds after customers and employees complain about droppings. "Our employees and patrons don't like them being overhead, and there is a tendency for those droppings to get on our Farecard machines . . . and people don't like touching that stuff," Gillum said, adding that Metro uses the poison as a "last resort." The agency also uses netting and spikes to prevent large flocks of birds from roosting, he said.

None of three other major transit agencies contacted yesterday said they use poison to get rid of birds. Officials at the Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia transit systems said they rely on netting and spikes as their primary methods of controlling nuisance birds. Asked whether New York officials use poison to control the legions of pigeons that flock to the subway, transit agency spokeswoman Deirdre Parker said: "Oh no, no, no, no, no. We would never be able to get away with it." Parker said officials rely on a mild electric shock to get rid of birds.

The poisoning process at Metro begins when the contractor sets out food for two to three weeks to attract birds to a particular location, Gillum said. Once that feeding area has been established, the contractor is supposed to bait the area early on a Sunday morning using Avitrol, a chemically treated bait. The contractor is supposed to monitor during this period to make sure "non-target species" of birds do not eat the poisoned bait, according to the contract. The contract also states that Dixon's is required to use "extreme care and caution" in the poison application "so as not to be hazardous to the health of human beings, warm blooded animals, or songbirds. In addition, food, ground water, or subterranean water, must not be contaminated."

On Sunday, the contractor told Metro officials that it put out poison at one bus garage and seven Metrorail stations: Silver Spring and Takoma on the Red Line, and Prince George's Plaza, Fort Totten, Greenbelt, Naylor Road and Anacostia on the Green Line. The contractor, which was supposed to be finished before 7 a.m., told Metro officials it did not begin until 7:30 a.m., Gillum said. Dead birds were reported at four of those stations: Takoma, Greenbelt, Naylor Road and Anacostia. Gillum said the contractor was able to pick up dead birds at some of the stations immediately but did not have time to go back to the other stations before authorities closed them because of the dead birds.

Metro officials said they could not explain why dead birds were found at two stations -- Branch Avenue and Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood -- where the contractor had not put out poison.

In 2006, Metro hired Dixon nine times, paying between $213 and $4,000 each time, based on the amount of work. The company's owner, Robert Dixon, did not return a telephone call to his office yesterday. The reports of at least 60 dead birds triggered an immediate response from federal and local officials Sunday, and the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force also interviewed Dixon, according to Debbie Weierman, a spokeswoman for the FBI's Washington field office.

Gillum noted that Metro had worked successfully with the Humane Society several years ago to find an alternative to trapping and killing troublesome beavers at the Greenbelt Metro station. Metro ended up using a device known as the beaver deceiver, which tricks beavers into thinking their dams are not working and prompts them to leave, he said.

Staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.