# Legal question relating to a young wood pigeon left on road UK



## Peckles (Jul 21, 2016)

Hello there

I am just wondering if any one knows any thing about the law surrounding leaving wildlife to suffer when they have been hit by a car ?

My partner watched a silver Mercedes car run a young pigeon over and the car did not even break to avoid it on a quiet, empty country road. My lovely partner stopped and picked the little pigeon up and bought it home.

The wood pigeon has miraculously not been killed but is in a bad way. His head appears to have been singed by the exhaust pipe and he beak is displaced and will not close properly and he is limping. 

He is however eating now, doing droppings and perching on the side of his box when I feed him. I will be taking him to an avian specialist vet for a full examination and treatment.

I am disgusted by the fact that the car driver went straight over him and did not attempt to avoid him. 

I know this happens a lot but I'm fairly certain that to leave an animal suffering if you have run it over is not legal and I want to take a photo of the little guys injuries as they are pretty shocking and post it on social media and say what happened and that if the driver of the silver Mercedes sees this to know what happens when you just drive over some thing that is a living creature. Also that if I find him I will be reporting him to authorites for leaving him suffering. I would love people to be more aware of wildlife on the road and to not be so disrespectful to birds and small mammals. 

So any one who has any information on the legal status of this and other deterents for drivers doing this I would be very grateful.

Thanks for your help


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Thanks for helping the poor thing. I hope they can help him, as from what I hear about Woodies, they don't do well in captivity, so if he isn't going to be releasable after treatment, they may have to euthanize him. Unfortunately either people care, or they don't. I think it's sad too, but there are too many people like that in the world. Sorry I can't help you with the laws where you are. Maybe someone else will know. But doesn't matter, as you would have a pretty hard time proving who did it. Must be other cars like that around. 
If you are on Facebook, I suggest you join the Pigeon Rescue group which is a network of rescuers and some rescue centres in the UK:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/PigeonProtection/


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## Peckles (Jul 21, 2016)

Thank you Jay 3.

I have a wonderful avian vet who has helped me with some of the woodies I have. I hope his injuries will all heal and he will be able to fly off and live a happy life and he can have as long as he needs with me. I just wanted to have a way to show people what happens when you run things over, this person may not care at all but he / she may have children/ friends who would be disappointed by this which may appeal to his/ her conscience ?

It was just a thought.

I doubt he/ she would respond to a social media post but they will know who they are and hopefully think twice before charging over some thing again. I don't really use social media or have a camera phone but it was some thing I wanted to do as it is just not acceptable if there are no other vehicles around and you can safely avoid the animal.

The little guy is a real fighter and a beautiful little thing. Thanks for your kind response.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

I'm pretty sure there isn't a law about reporting such things, not like with dogs. Even mowing down cats doesn't have to be reported. 

As regards animal cruelty, whether one can actually *prove* someone deliberately caused suffering to a wild animal or bird would probably be the major factor.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Very sad to hear someone would harm a critter then just leave. Hope the poor thing makes it. Would hope that if he is not releasable that he might be able to live in a refuge. Better for an animal to be alive and live a happy life even if he can't fly away than to be needlessly euthanized just because he can't fly. Our beloved Phoebe was a nonreleasable feral who had a broken wing and was nearly decapitated. She lived eight wonderful years after that and was a member of the family. Hope you can get the wood pigeon treatment then keep him or find a refuge for him if he is nonreleasable.


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## Peckles (Jul 21, 2016)

*Thanks for the responses guys*

Little guy is doing okay, he is eating and drinking and getting on with things. He is perching and has had a fly around the room much to my surpise as he had taken himself out of the box when I got home yesterday.

Does any one know of any UK wood pigeon specialist rescue centres who allow long term residents ? I hope he will be able to go at some point but if not would be good to know. I have a small aivery in the garden where the birds can recover when they are better but for long term it is not big enough.

I do plan to build a much bigger one but currently paying off some hefty vet bills so the big aivery plan is on hold.

Thanks for the help guys


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Peckles said:


> Little guy is doing okay, he is eating and drinking and getting on with things. He is perching and has had a fly around the room much to my surpise as he had taken himself out of the box when I got home yesterday.
> 
> Does any one know of any UK wood pigeon specialist rescue centres who allow long term residents ? I hope he will be able to go at some point but if not would be good to know. I have a small aivery in the garden where the birds can recover when they are better but for long term it is not big enough.
> 
> ...


*Thank you for caring for this woodie. Sounds like the bird is doing okay.

Have you seen this UK link with rescue resources, there is a wealth of information there? http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/rescuecentres.htm *


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## FredaH (Apr 5, 2016)

Johns right, it's only dogs that you're supposed to stop and report if you run one over. Pigeons, whether feral or wood are classed as pests so come under the same defra category's as rats, jays, magpies etc. Such a shame really because everything has a right to life and yet we categorise those that WE deem unimportant, even though life to them is the most important thing of all and we are the most destructive species on the planet. 
Thanks for looking after this little guy and good luck with his progress.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

What amazes me is that for some animals people will try to avoid hitting them on the road, but those same people don't even try to avoid the others. Why would you not at least try to avoid hitting any animal?


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## Peckles (Jul 21, 2016)

*Thanks guys*

Absolutely agree. Freda yes we are pesky humans destroying every thing. The world can be a funny place

I will check this link Jay 3 I have not looked at it but I will when I get home, 

The little woodie is doing a bit more flying this morning, but has spent most of the time sitting on the bed and sleeping on the pillow in my spare room ( the pigeon room ) 

The skin on his head looks a lot healthier too.

I find my self getting a bit angry and scowling at all silver Mercedes now


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## Peckles (Jul 21, 2016)

*Little pigeon update*

Hello I wanted to post an update on my little wood pigeon who has got a lot bigger now !

He has gone in to the aivery outside and seems to like it, he is quite calm and relaxed at the moment and spends a lot of time sunbathing and relaxing. Although he is not tame and is wary of people. At the moment he has not got the manic edge they seem to develop when they want to go and he has matured in size a lot thanks to getting his appetite back.

The one problem I can see is that the skin on his head that was burnt by the car that ran over him has not started to grow feathers yet. The skin is a healthy pink colour but completely bald and I think that may be it has been scarred so badly that may be it cannot grow feathers on that part of his head. It is a round patch a bit bigger that a 2 pence peice and I think this could make him vulnerable in the wild as their head is so delicate and without the feathers so exposed.

Any ideas or experience with birds being released back in to the wild with a similar problem ?

Thank you


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Pictures?..................


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Jay3 said:


> Pictures?..................


*My thoughts..exactly.

It is possible the feathers may never grow back, but it may be too soon to tell. Have you taken a magnifying glass and tried to look at the bald spot closer (and not in sunlight, of course) ? *


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## FredaH (Apr 5, 2016)

Thanks for the lovely update, so glad you found the poor little guy and saved his life - sounds like he's doing really well, albeit a bald pate, lol. I have no idea if he'll get picked on in the wild so I'll leave that to more experienced folk but I'm really happy to hear that he made it. Well done for your kindness and care.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Glad to hear he's doing except for the head feathers.


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## Peckles (Jul 21, 2016)

*Pictures may be a problem !*

I do not have a picture phone or a camera, some thing I have not got round to just yet. I will try and get my BF to take some with his phone and email then to me but if it means having to get hold of little 'Fluffy Head' to take the pics I will probably leave it as he has been enjoying his time with out me constantly catching him, feeding him, giving him medicine and annoying him. But I may be able to get some pics of him sunbathing and get close enough for a close up of his head.

Thanks for the responses, it was my BF who saved his life as he stopped to catch the little guy when the ridiculous Mercedes ran straight over him on a quiet country road. The way he looked that evening was really aweful and the way his skin tightened all around his head and effected his eye and beak made me really worried about what would happen but I am really pleased with how that has sorted itself out, he was a fighter though and not one who wanted to sit around resting in a box ! I should have taken pics each day to see the way it all healed would have been helpful I think for future reference.

Thanks guys


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

So glad to hear he has been doing well. You have done a wonderful job helping him!


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Appreciate the update, and thank your BF for us for catching the little guy and thank YOU for caring for the young one. Keep the updates coming.*


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