NParks investigating incident in which blow darts were used on pigeons

PUBLISHED MAR 3, 2020, 6:30 PM SGT

Clement Yong

SINGAPORE - The National Parks Board's Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) is looking into an incident in which blow darts were allegedly used on two pigeons, and urged the public to help with investigations by sharing any relevant photo or video evidence with it.

The suspected case of bird cruelty was first reported by the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) in a Facebook post on Monday (March 2), after the animal welfare group received a report from a member of the public at Block 864 Jurong West Street 81.

The caller had rescued a pigeon with a dart on its body, Acres said. Its officers at the scene also found a pigeon that had two darts on its body, but it flew away before they could attend to the bird.

Acres said that it was an "act of cruelty and violence to put the innocent birds through pain and suffering" and added that the possession of the blow darts and similar items or their sale online "should be strictly regulated considering the pain they can cause to any animal or human" if used on them.

Under the law, blow pipes are, as with Swiss Army knives and fencing swords, permissible items that do not require a licence or permit to import, export or own.

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New Zealand birds: Christmas decorations tied around sparrows

Dozens of birds have been found dead or injured in New Zealand with Christmas decorations tied around their necks and wings.

Sparrows and pigeons have been reported with "decorative trinkets" tied to them in Wellington.

Some of them died of starvation as they are unable to fly and find food, according to the SPCA.

Although there have been similar incidents since 2015, there has been a spike in sightings in recent weeks.

Authorities believe the birds are being deliberately "decorated" as the tinsel and bows are tightly and carefully attached, the New Zealand Herald reported.

"Many try to pry the foreign objects off their bodies with their beaks and feet, becoming further entangled and preventing them from eating, drinking and flying. With others, the decorations are wrapped so tightly it completely cuts off their blood circulation.

"Those that do survive and arrive at our centre are always in a very bad state, and are so malnourished and distressed that we have had to humanely euthanise them," SPCA spokesperson Paige Janssen said in an email to the BBC.

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‘Birds left to die on the ground? It’s disgusting’: Aldinga residents hit out at corella cull but business owners say it’s necessary

  February 7, 20171:38pm

 

ALDINGA residents are in a flap over a “disgusting” corella cull in their suburb.

The shooting of birds on private land has sparked an angry response on social media.

Residents witnessing the cull posted photos and video of the shooter and the injured birds to Facebook.

They say a shooter started to kill off the birds on the evening of Wednesday, February 1, in the trees on private land opposite the Aldinga Hotel.

However, Miss Gladys By The Sea director Joff Chappel said he was one of several traders behind the cull.

“Apparently the birds talk so it doesn’t have to be a very big cull for them to move on,” Mr Chappel said.

He would not reveal who the others traders were.

An Onkaparinga Council spokesman said the council had not been involved “in bird control activities” since 2012. The Southern Times Messenger understands the shooter had a permit and was allowed to cull until 9pm.

Aldinga resident Donna Morrison said injured birds were left lying on the ground with gunshot wounds.

“I think it was disgusting,” Ms Morrison said.

“The shooter is meant to only shoot if he has a clear shot and can kill instantly which clearly trying to shoot at night with a torch doesn’t allow for a quick clean kill.”

Another resident, who did not want to be named, said the dead birds were collected and put into a sack.

“Some of the birds would fall down to the ground and flap around and they wouldn’t put them in the sack until they were dead,” the resident said.

Cr Don Chapman said the cull was “inappropriate”.

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Fears Bird Dumped Near St Albans Could Have Been Used In Illegal Cockfighting

Thursday, March 3rd, 2016 8:54am

The RSPCA is investigating after a blind and injured cockerel was dumped on a country lane near St Albans...

The discovery was made after the bird - suspected to have been used by cockfighters - was spotted wandering Colney Heath Lane on Monday.

Officials from the animal charity believe the bird had leg and wing injuries consistent with fighting - which was made illegal in 1835.

Inspector Jaime Godfrey told us: "It looks like he has been blinded from having his eyes pecked. His chest and the front of his legs are raw and sore and the top of his wings are injured, likely from being rubbed on a cage.

The injuries are indicative of cockfighting".

Inspector Mike Butcher, a member of the RSPCA's special operations unit which tackles blood sports like cockfighting, added: "This cockerel's spur had been cut off, this was probably to fit a metal spur so it could inflict maximum damage to the opponent's bird during a cockfight.

We suspect this bird was probably involved in an organised fight and was injured in the barbaric 'sport' of cockfighting which continues despite being illegal".

Anyone with information can contact the RSPCA's inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018.

Source …

Spanish town bans bizarre duck-chasing seaside festival

Society changes course as time moves on, says local mayor, as the resort bans the century-old tradition

By James Badcock, Madrid4:37PM GMT 02 Mar 2016

The Costa Brava resort of Roses has decided to ban a century-old tradition in which locals chased ducks in the sea as part of the town’s summer festivities.

The bizarre “hunt the duck” festival has been taking pace in Roses for 97 years, but last August’s celebration drew negative publicity when a participant used one of the unfortunate birds to strike an animal rights protester who was filming the event.

The video, in which an angry woman in a swimsuit swings a duck at the camera, has since been seen 360,000 times on YouTube. Animal rights organisations such as Spain’s national Pacma party called for a ban on the event in which white ducks are thrown from a boat into the sea for bathers to catch in return for prizes.

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RSPCA warns against latest blood sport - seagull fishing

By North Devon Journal | Posted: August 23, 2015

THE RSPCA has warned that anyone caught deliberately hurting seagulls will be prosecuted.

The statement comes following reports of a cruel new blood sport – seagull fishing.

In one recent incident in the South West the charity was called to reports from passers by that a group of youngsters were trying to catch gulls.

Officers have said that one bird was killed and others badly injured by people who have been deliberately catching seagulls using fishing lines.

RSPCA inspector Paul Kempson said: “When we arrived, we found one gull that had unfortunately died and another gull that was badly injured. We rushed the injured gull to a local vet and he is now being rehabilitated at one of the RSPCA’s wildlife centres.”

Mr Kempson warned that anyone caught deliberately injuring the animals could face prosecution.

He said: “Deliberate cruelty is not only completely callous and unacceptable but it is also against the law. We have launched an investigation into the incident and would urge anyone with any further information to please contact our inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018.

Read more: 

'Revenge' On Seagulls Following Spate Of Bird Attacks

By Caroline Thain | Yahoo News – 21 hours ago

Angry birds are causing a storm but there’s no need to attack seagulls – even though they can injure people and pets. That’s the message from the police and RSPCA, after one seagull was poisoned in Bridport, Dorset.

It was left dumped outside a police station, along with its chick, in what seems like a backlash against the aggressive birds, which have hit the headlines recently.

Scott McGregor, from the Bridport police service, said: “Whether you love them or loathe them, one of our seagulls is suffering following a suspected poisoning.

“The seagull had vomited considerably and when the RSPCA were sent out, it was their view that the bird was poisoned.

‘Seagulls are protected for a reason and there is no need to poison them, causing them unnecessary cruelty and suffering.”

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Bird put down after hit with arrow

May 26 2015 at 08:56am 

By Mercury reporter 

Durban - In the wake of a hadeda’s being horribly injured in a shooting incident involving an arrow, the Kloof and Highway SPCA has urged parents to teach their children to be responsible when using “toys” and not to use innocent animals as targets.

The SPCA’s spokesperson, Lisa Gadd, said that on Friday they received a call from a Kloof resident who had seen an injured hadeda in their garden.

She said inspectors went to the area and found two hadedas, one of which was seriously injured.

“One hadeda flew away as they approached, but the injured bird battled to move and was only able to fly as high as waist height,” he said.

Gadd said the inspectors caught the injured hadeda and took it to the Kloof and Highway SPCA clinic.

“An arrow was protruding from the bird’s torso and had penetrated right through. The arrow measured 75cm in length. Unfortunately the bird could not be saved,” she said.

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Ill-treated animals cry for help at Jatinegara

Indra Budiari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Headlines | Tue, May 12 2015, 1:04 PM

Hundreds of people crowded the Jatinegara Bird Market in East Jakarta one afternoon over the weekend to buy pets or casually stroll around while looking at the birds and other animals.

Reno Arfan, 27, said he had come from Bekasi, West Java, with his friends to find an affordable local canary for his father. He said he had heard the market had a wide variety of birds at an affordable price.

“We found a beautiful gold canary for Rp 250,000 (US$19) from a vendor there,” he told The Jakarta Post, pointing to a vendor on the curb of a densely packed road.

Best known for its birds, the market also has various cats, fish, monkeys and other animals, which come from regions across the archipelago. Some of the vendors focus on selling just cages or animal feed rather than animals. Just a few kilometers from Jatinegara, a similar market can be found on Jl. Pramuka, also in East Jakarta.

For some people, the market is a sad sight, as many of the animals are not treated with respect.

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Bottled birds: How callous smugglers cram cockatoos into plastic bottles to get them through customs

More than 24 endangered Yellow-crested cockatoos were rescued by police

Smugglers stuffed them in bottles to get through customs in Indonesia

Critically endangered cockatoos can be sold for as much as £650 each

Around 40 per cent of birds die during the illegal smuggling process

By JENNY AWFORD FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 19:50, 4 May 2015 | UPDATED: 11:31, 5 May 2015

More than 24 critically endangered cockatoos were rescued by police after being found stuffed in water bottles for illegal trade. 

Smugglers crammed the Yellow-crested cockatoos into empty bottles so they could get through customs at Port of Tanjung Perak in Surabaya, Indonesia.

But Indonesian Police discovered the birds, which can be sold for as much as £650 each, and cut them free so they could receive medical attention.

The Yellow-crested cockatoo was listed as a critically endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 2007.

More than 24 critically endangered cockatoos were rescued by police after being found stuffed in water bottles for illegal trade

Smugglers had crammed the Yellow-crested cockatoos into empty bottles so they could get through customs at Port of Tanjung Perak in Surabaya, Indonesia

The population is at a critical low due to deforestation and poaching and recent studies suggest there may be less than 7,000 individuals remaining.

More than 10,000 parrots, including Lories and Cockatoos, are caught from the wild in North Halmahera, Indonesia, each year to supply the domestic and the international illegal wildlife trade.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3067691/Smugglers-birds-plastic-bottles-customs.html#ixzz3ZTw9jeIt

Toucan’s beak broken after teenagers beat it with sticks

A toucan has been left permanently injured after a group of teenagers beat it with a stick until its beak broke off.

The bird, who can no longer eat or drink by itself, now faces the rest of its life being cared for at an animal rescue centre.

The tropical bird was handed over to Animal Rescue Centre Zoo Ave in the city of Alajuela, Costa Rica, after locals witnessed youths laughing while they beat the animal.

Vet Silo Hurtado Pina said: ‘We are exploring the possibility of giving it a prosthesis but even if that is successful it is unlikely it will ever be able to leave the sanctuary.

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'Total carnage' as 18 budgies trampled to death by sick thugs in bird massacre

Aug 29, 2014 15:04

By Sam Rkaina

15 eggs were smashed and one bird was even drowned in bleach during the vicious killing spree

A heartbroken pensioner has slammed the sick thugs who massacred his beloved budgies.

The vandals broke into 85-year-old widower Jim Shepherd's shed and began a vicious killing spree, trampling seven birds and 11 chicks to death and smashing 15 eggs.

Jim discovered the horror when he went in to check on his birds - some of which had been stamped into the floor and one was even drowned in bleach in the sink.

The pensioner, a budgie breeder for 60 years, said: "It was just total carnage. I can't see why anyone would get a thrill out of killing these poor innocent birds.

Read more ...

Seagull spray-painted red by cruel yobs 'faces bullying by other birds'

The young herring-gull was sprayed all over with red paint by cruel yobs

The bird was taken in by Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary in North Yorkshire

'Poppy' will not be live among other gulls as she will be victim of bullying 

Wildlife experts call the act 'disgusting' and say bird's feathers are ruined 

By JULIAN ROBINSON FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 11:35, 22 August 2014 | UPDATED: 08:18, 23 August 2014

A young herring-gull will need specialist care for years after cruel yobs attacked it with spray paint.

The bird was taken in by Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary, North Yorkshire, after she was found covered in thick red paint.

The baby gull, who rescuers have named Poppy due to her new colour, is only a few months old and now faces a couple of flightless years while waiting for the damaged feathers to fall out.

A young herring-gull was discovered with her feathers painted red after it was taregted by yobs

Alexandra Farmer, 25, who runs the sanctuary, said Poppy will not be able to live among the other gulls because she will be the victim of bullying.

She said: 'She will be staying here at the sanctuary for a couple of years.

'She won't be able to fly now because the paint has made the feathers rock hard and stiff. She keeps looking at her feet because they are so red but there is not way to wash it off.

Read more: 

Seagull 'harmony' plea after young bird killed by cyclist

12 August 2014 Last updated at 17:30

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The RSPCA has issued advice on "living in harmony" with seagulls, after a young cyclist was seen "deliberately" riding over one.

The bird was destroyed after it was paralysed by the bike in Great Yarmouth, on 29 July, the RSPCA said.

Inspector Laura Sayer said it was "a horrific act of cruelty".

The charity's advice includes being sympathetic to young gulls who try to steal chips and placing litter in "gull-proof" bins.

Ms Sayer said two witnesses had heard the "cracking of bones" as a young male cycled over the bird, on Crown Street.

She said: "It was a horrific act of cruelty.

"When I got there the bird was still alive, just, but collapsed and unable to move. The vet said the bird had been paralysed after his spine had been dislocated by the bike."

Ms Sayer said the type of attack was "not as unusual as you would hope" and asked people to be more considerate.

"With the school holidays in full swing it is likely this problem will only get worse," she said.

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Zookeeper who battered ostrich to death with shovel blames killing on innocent pony

Jun 28, 2014 21:42

By Alex Wellman

Colleagues of the zookeeper saw him beating the giant bird and told their supervisors who confronted the man only for him to blame a pony

A bungling French zookeeper who beat an ostrich to death with a shovel blamed the killing on an innocent pony.

The unnamed zookeeper falsely accused the pony after shocked colleagues at a zoo in La Teste-de-Buch, southwest France, discovered the giant bird had died.

The ostrich shared a pen with an elderly pony and despite a number of co-workers seeing the man beat the animal over the head with a shovel, he claimed he had nothing to do with it.

According to the New York Daily News, the man claimed the bird had been killed by a savage kick from its equine roommate.

However, closer inspection showed that the bird had died from a blow to the head from a shovel.

The man was sentenced to jail for six months, four of which were suspended, and ordered to pay a fine of 5,000 Euros as well as being fired from his job of 15 years.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/zookeeper-who-battered-ostrich-death-3782018#ixzz362FG5ZnC

Thousands of wild birds imprisoned in shoplots

The question is not, “Can they reason?” nor, “Can they talk?” but rather, “Can they suffer?” - Jeremy Bentham.

Human are causing unnecessary trouble and distress towards animals which were created in this world. We do not have any reason for causing misery to the creatures which can’t express their feelings. We are the weak and cowardly creatures in this earth by troubling other living beings. For that reason the entire human race is suffering and fighting against each other. Karma will take revenge.

Recently, while I was teaching my brother how to drive a car, we went to a residential area where it was very quiet. That was my first time to enter that place. It was called Taman Jayamas phase 1, Jalan Tun Dr Ismail, Seremban. Negri Sembilan. When I passed by a shoplot, I heard terrific noises from birds which seemed like they were crying. It was a heartbreaking sound.

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