But At Least You’re Not In France, Where You Would Likely Be Eaten

It’s tough to be a pigeon in this town. When the City Council isn’t trying to get rid of you you have to worry about pigeon poachers. Then all of the sudden the Department of Health wants to protect you:

According to city Health Department Commissioner Thomas Frieden, several city and state agencies have recently joined forces to combat “pigeon netting,” the underground act of snatching pigeons off the streets and selling them for $5 and $10 each, mostly to legal, out-of-state pigeon shoots.

According to bird advocates, men armed with large nets drive around the city — particularly in the early-morning hours, when birds are hungry — and place seed on the ground to attract pigeons. When the birds come to eat, the men throw nets over them, place them in trucks, and drive off.

“It happens incredibly fast,” said one advocate. “This is a solid operation. There are usually groups of guys, and they use several cars with switched license plates. They get $5 a bird to ship them off to pigeon shoots, particularly in Pennsylvania. It’s cruel, it’s wrong, and it’s happening right under our noses and no one’s doing anything about it.”

. . .

“We’ve followed the netters to a warehouse in Queens that sells poultry,” said one advocate, who also didn’t want to be named. “We’re still trying to pull together evidence.

“This is not a joke. A lot of people think, ‘Oh, pigeons, what’s the big deal?’ But it is a big deal. These are wild birds, and they’re being stolen right off the street. It’s not right.”