Here is the letter that the PA sent to Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council members:
The Honorable Michael Bloomberg, Council members:
First off – I should mention one of the best books that have covered the subject of pigeons in many years, the NY Times best seller, “Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World’s Most Revered and Reviled Bird” by Andrew Blechman – You might find it informative and shattering to many of the disease and other myths promoted by the property owners who do not have an interest in finding solutions for pigeon droppings (cleaning them and/or putting simple deterrents).
More importantly, I am writing to let you know that a ban on feeding pigeons is in direct contradiction to what we as New York State licensed wildlife rehabilitators are taught. We must provide a "soft release" for newly rehabilitated birds. This means a reliable source of food for 3 to six weeks after the injured and/or sick bird has been rehabilitated and released. There are at least half a dozen pigeon and city bird rescue groups in New York City . We all volunteer our time, energy and resources to the rescue and rehabilitation of our city friends. We do this for the same reason that vets labor over our sick or injured companion animals – because we care deeply for animals.
Pigeons are domesticated birds brought to this country in the 1600s for pets, racing, and sport ("pigeon shoots" now illegal — simply lining birds up to kill them). Many have either escaped or been abandoned to the streets. They are, in many ways, like stray dogs and cats. They have little or no ability to survive without human help. They are herbivores (seed eaters) and as our city became more industrial — little or no wild seed is to be found. Instead, many happily co existed with people "going to the park to feed the birds" and/or people who noticed they were hungry and threw them a crumb.
When pigeons have no other resource, they end up scavenging in bacteria infested garbage and falling ill. Then rehabilitators (lucky us) get to nurse them back to health.
Pigeons are not migratory birds – they do not travel farther than a ten block radius from where they are born. So, contrary to Councilman Felder’s flippant remark, “They can NOT just go to Jersey .” They won’t. What they will do is breed more quickly and live miserably, and die sooner. Pigeons natural life span is 25 years. Currently in NYC they live (if lucky) 2 years.
The bigger point here is that of human rights. Who has proclaimed that "pigeon haters" have more political rights than "pigeon friendly" people? The term "rats with wings" was coined by exterminator companies who benefited from increased sales. See this link to Colin Jerolmack’s PHD doctorate which explores “the problematization of urban wildlife” and explains how cities changed from pigeon friendly to the current mounting hostility. Suddenly city birds are “out of place.” Who says they are out of place? Why was that not the case only 50 or so years prior? How and why has this changed so drastically and can’t we question whether this may be unjust? Colin’s book will be coming out next year: http://colinjerolmack.com/
Pigeons have nothing in common with disease carrying rodents and we can contract no diseases from them. They carry none of the diseases associated with rats and, unlike rats, they are not meat eating. Therefore, pigeons are never prone to “bite the baby in the unattended crib” — as we’ve all heard the horror stories from the slums over time. So let’s stop the "rats with wings" mantra which supposedly closes the subject.
In fact, we as a culture, have a responsibility to care for these sweet and very exuberant birds — after having spent centuries breeding them for racing — keeping them in domestic situations where they became dependent on being cared for and/or alternately loving, then hating them. There are many people who enjoy having some contact with nature (many of us don’t have the wealth for that second home out on Long Island ) and want to have an integrated urban scape that includes urban wildlife.
Witness Portland Audubon’s program, "Living With Urban Wildlife" and many of the other Audubon sponsored programs. For people interested in actual facts on pigeons, Cornell University has a wonderful program, "Project Pigeon Watch" http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/urbanbirds/ubs_PIWMainEN.html
which has been a huge success with local children and college kids.Human beings have historically demonstrated a need to be connected with nature and with animals. It could be said that for some it is a critical part of their daily life. It should not be a "no brainer" to deny some that satisfaction as if we have no rights in the face of industry or property owners (concerned over damages from pigeon waste). Pigeons cannot survive without human intervention. They resort to garbage and fall ill. They don’t stop reproducing; they just live horrible and miserable lives.
For more information please see:http://nycprc.org/
and alsoWhen pigeons are healthy their waste is not watery at all but more like clay pellets. People who feed pigeons healthy food are actually helping to clean up the streets. We have an interest in living with our urban wildlife; not banishing them from our cities and towns.
The world is fast becoming a place where extinction is happening at break neck pace, we are losing species that will never be recovered. While we have a plethora of birds today, the carrier pigeon and the dodo bird are sobering examples of how milions of birds can become no birds at all.
Where do we start? When do we think that maybe urban planning should be inclusive not only of our buildings, granite, concrete — but parks that enjoy and host squirrels, sparrows, starlings, pigeons — and/or creating better protected areas where these creatures can be safe within our city zones. We are not all of one mind — witness the many organizations and volunteers who care for these critters. Instead of punishing those who have been doing what the state should have long ago – namely manage and care for our diverse urban wildlife; we need to work together to find innovative solutions that reflect all New Yorkers, not just those who have property interests and/or hate pigeons.
See:
http://www.satyamag.com/aug05/clearfield.htmlI would be happy to come to any meetings which might create a forum for those of us who spend all our time patching up the sick and injured city animals – a meeting which might talk about innovative and happy solutions to this issue rather than this menacing “ban.” I work with wildlife experts, rehabilitators and animal advocates – all who have many brilliant plans and strategies for creating an urban landscape that can allow us to live with our urban wildlife rather than decimate what little there remains