| 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 I, pigeons carried thousands of messages that saved many hundreds of lives. In World War II 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 I 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 I.
Pigeons continued their valiant service during World War II and the Korean War. The Dickin Medal for Valor, an award only for animals , was given to 31 pigeons in World War II, 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.
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 Brooster 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 barbeque 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."
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