NYC Chelsea Piers Now Safe for Pigeons

Animal-rights activists the world over—or at least a small group of pigeon-lovers—rejoiced when they learned that New York City's Chelsea Piers recently decided to stop trapping the birds via an outsourced pest-control service.

Pigeon advocates had complained for more than a year about the wood-and-wire traps, which had been placed on the Sports Complex’s fire escapes to prevent the ubiquitous aviators from massing and pooping on the property. While Piers officials had maintained in the past that the droppings presented a serious health risk to visitors, advocates claim that pigeon excrement poses no worse a threat than doggie doo. “We believed that the Piers were allowing their exterminator to kill the pigeons they trapped,” said Al Streit, founder and director of the rescue, advocacy and educational group Pigeon People. “If [the pigeons] had been moved even hundreds of miles away, they would have returned within a day [because of their homing instincts]. They didn’t. We’re happy that pigeons can now fly through the sports complex without danger,” Streit continued. “We hope Chelsea Piers has learned that keeping pigeons off buildings is easy and cheap to do. There’s no need for killing. And, if you kill them, others take their places.”

Source: gaycitynews.com