The Journal Gazette has now weighed in with an article on the “Pigeon problem” facing downtown. Â You may wish to read my previous post and note the questions raised by the article first, then come back to this post.
[…] Since January, a committee through the Downtown Improvement District has been meeting to find the best method to control the pigeons, which are considered a pest by some and pets by others.
So far, numerous tactics have been tried.
The county has used barbed wire to keep the animals off the Courthouse roof and sound machines to scare them away.
[…]Â “Nothing is working,” Bloom said.
[…] The committee has ruled out poison, said Richard Davis, president of the Downtown Improvement District, which represents downtown property owners and businesses.
“You’d have birds dropping on your streets and public places. It creates panic,” he said, both for the unhappy public and the distressed birds.
Instead, the committee is leaning toward trapping the birds and euthanizing them with the help of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Davis said.
[…] Davis said some residents raise pigeons and let them fly free, adding to the downtown problem.
Taha Alshimmary is one of the people who likes pigeons and raises them at home. He keeps about 25 in a large coop behind his home on Washington Boulevard.
The birds don’t leave the vicinity of the house, and he doesn’t believe they are causing damage to the Courthouse or other downtown buildings.
[…] Alshimmary checked with animal control and neighborhood code before setting up his coop. He says he’s still received complaints about the birds, though he says the complaints are unfounded.
But Davis isn’t convinced that what Alshimmary and others are doing is legal, and he first wants to review the city’s ordinances regarding domesticated animals.
“We’re reluctant to throw money at the problem until we have the sources under control,” Davis said.
Almost night and day between what Kevin Leininger wrote for the News-Sentinel and Amanda Iacone for the Journal Gazette. Â So, here is what was clarified, or fleshed out a bit more by the JG’s article:
- The DID has had a committee that has been meeting to explore alternatives.
- The committee is leaning toward trapping and euthanizing the pigeons – wonder how that will fly with the public?
- It’s still unclear whether or not the “sounds” were at the Courthouse or the City-County parking garage and if the difference in the nature of the structures leads to the birds “liking” the sound.
Let me just say this so it is absolutely clear. Â My complaint is not with Rich Davis, the DID, the County, the City no one else – my problem lies with the reporters. Â This is just another example of the disconnect between reality and what’s reported. Â It does no service to those involved, nor to the public who for some reason, don’t demand better of the media.
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