Posted on 10/14/2008 12:05:52 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Cruelty to animals?
A waste of time and money?
A project to get rid of some pesky birds beneath bridges is being met with serious questions.
The motivating factor behind the project is avian excrement - otherwise known as poop.
Tucked beneath 14 North Texas tollway bridges, you'll find cages baited with corn, waiting for pigeons to step inside.
The tollway says trapping them is necessary to cut down on bird droppings hazardous to the highway and people's health.
But Teri Latsko and Nicole Matocha say the threat is to the birds.
And they have the pictures to prove it.
"We saw dead pigeons, we saw emaciated pigeons so thin they couldn't even fly," said Nicole Matocha.
"It was heart wrenching," Teri Latsko said.
"These animals are suffering, from what we've found, multiple times," said Matocha.
What we found, prompted more questions about the tollway's so-called "pigeon project."
In February, the NTTA hired a professional company to get rid of the bridge-roosting pests.
They say bird droppings can carry diseases.
"There's wind [which] can spread those skin cells and make it harmful for those business and homes that border the tollway," said Sherita Coffelt, NTTA spokesperson.
Coffelt says there is another danger too - to the road itself.
Pigeon guano is acidic and can allegedly contribute to concrete erosion - so getting rid of the birds is key.
Once caught, Texas Bird Services say the pigeons are "transported at least 40 miles away" and that the vast majority of them don't return.
SPCA head James Bias calls this statement ridiculous.
"Pigeons are gifted at going back to the place they roost. I think the attempts to take these pigeons somewhere else to release them is just guaranteeing that they'll be able to capture those same pigeons down the road."
The NTTA is spending about $35,000 over the next three years on the project, a venture critics fear may also violate animal cruelty laws.
Once an animal is trapped, the law requires they be given adequate food, water and shelter.
Pictures show, there is often no food or water.
And our check of the cages shows inconsistent care.
One cage I found had food, but not really any water.
What's more, only 14 of the tollway's 260 bridges have traps, resulting in just 10 to 20 birds relocated every week.
The NTTA says the money well spent.
"You can't put a price tag on safety," said Coffelt.
Nicole Matocha and Teri Latsko have a cheaper solution.
They say the birds should be left alone.
Import peregrin falcons.
Bullet from the sky, puff of feathers, game over.
Squab?? Feed 'em some grain and . . .
Put a couple of ‘tween-age boys with Daisys under each bridge for a day. These flying rats are introduced from Europe and it’s legal to shoot them all day long.
Well, their wild cousins, the band tail pigeon, a native American bird, are very good eating and they don’t inhabit human areas and crap all over thing spreading disease. It is legal to shoot domestic pigeons in most states all year long. .410s or pellet guns under these bridges would rid them of most of these birds,if not all. Time to put a stop to these bleeding hearts who would rather see humans suffer than a disease spreading bird.
Great for dog training.
Just put out poison grain!
Some of us still do.
But these “protesters” must value the pigeons’ live over peoples’ safety.
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