# Should I release a rescued pigeon?



## Rennie123 (Aug 31, 2018)

Hi,
Around 3 weeks ago my partner and I rescued a pigeon that looked around a week old.
We have hand fed it and it has grown a lot since then. It is now able to fly (not sure how far yet) and seems pretty active. It seems really happy. It is very tame, will sit on your hand and eat from it all day. I think it is a wood pigeon, I’m not too sure how to release it/if it will be the best idea now it is so attached to us. 


Thanks,


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

If he is too tame, then don't release him. He was raised by humans, he does not have the survival skills like wild youngsters have. In nature the parents teach them where to find food, water and shelter etc. Without that knowledge, he won't survive.

If he is happy with you (he might even be human imprinted), why upset his comfortable living by releasing him to all the dangers outside?


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## FLIGHT 901 (Aug 30, 2018)

Rennie123 said:


> Hi,
> Around 3 weeks ago my partner and I rescued a pigeon that looked around a week old.
> We have hand fed it and it has grown a lot since then. It is now able to fly (not sure how far yet) and seems pretty active. It seems really happy. It is very tame, will sit on your hand and eat from it all day. I think it is a wood pigeon, I’m not too sure how to release it/if it will be the best idea now it is so attached to us.
> 
> ...


I have always released 'ferals' back to the wild, regardless of how attached they/I became to each other. I believe in letting them take their chances in life and to be free, rather than live its life as a human accessory.

Unfortunately, that mantra has haunted me since Saturday, when my latest release was killed within 24 hours by a gull that is picking-off the young birds at the rate of one a day.It is destroying a generation and I have mixed feelings over the issue.

To pick its mutilated body from the grass, knowing it was eaten alive and suffered excruciating pain made the two weeks it was in my care seem futile. However, once past that dark episode, I resolved to keep releasing. 

They might be wary at first, when rejoining the flock but instinct kicks in and they soon become feral once more. Of course, if you are happy for it to poo on your carpets, furniture et al (and do they!) then go for it. Caging birds is anathema to me and I can't abide the practice.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Rennie123, if the bird is that tame i agree with MarinaB...would not release him.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If you rescued him at a week old, then he never learned anything he needs to know to survive. Many will starve out there or become lunch to a predator long before they join a flock, or even find one. By just releasing a bird with no knowledge of how to survive, you are basically signing his death warrant. If you don't want to keep him, then maybe you can locate someone who keeps pigeons with an aviary.


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## silo (Sep 18, 2018)

Awwww keep him and get him a friend.


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## KTPIGEON (Sep 22, 2018)

FLIGHT 901 said:


> Rennie123 said:
> 
> 
> > Hi,
> ...


I had extremely tame YB, hand raised and then weaned properly, was on its own and around 45 days old, strong at wings and could fly properly
Since I could not see um in cage I decided to keep um in my room where he spend lot of its time, playing, perching my arm n shoulders, eating out of my hand, roosting in my lap, curdling but every evening around same time it goes away and come the next day.
This went on for a week n I thought he is adjusted in wild to have natural instincts of timeing etc,.
Then one day it didn't turn up,
Its day 3 Im waiting for it


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## KTPIGEON (Sep 22, 2018)

This is my dearest friends,
My eyes are always searching for it now


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## KTPIGEON (Sep 22, 2018)

May it has joined a flock nearby? as we have a very old n famous public feeder attached to a temple near my house!
I hope the little guy is thriving with new friends n doing great. 
Possible right!


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## FLIGHT 901 (Aug 30, 2018)

Putting sentiment aside, wild birds belong in the wild. By attaching human frailties to the charge (whatever its type) we become custodians. Even animals reared in captivity that are part of a breeding program are reintroduced to the wild, albeit monitored. Finding animals that were bred in the wild, well, I ask you, is it fair to keep them because one becomes attached. 

Never mind those that 'expertly' tell you ''it won't survive.'' That is not an exact science and if their opinion is informed and based upon exact science, then no doubt they'll 'expertly' give a reference-point that is checkable. failing that, consign to dustbin. 

Predators kill any bird, hand-reared or wild and every bird, hand-reared or wild has to take its chances. If you feel comfortable being a custodian and depriving a bird of its liberty then you can stand or fall by that decision. It's a harsh, unforgiving world in the wild, which is the beauty of it. Those that belong in it should do so without hindrance from sanctimonious self-opinionated meddlers.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Flight 901--You are a very opinionated moron. You often give bad advice, and you obviously don't know much about pigeons or anything else. Everyone is entitled to their opinion..........even you. But I am getting really tired of your rudeness and insulting others. Say what you think is best, and knock off the insults and name calling. The people on here do have experience, and you do not know everything.

With all the hundreds of birds lost by racers every year, why do they not all show up in the feral flocks? Where do you think they go? They are found out there starving and sick and rescued by people who know a lot more than you do. If a feral pigeon hasn't been brought into a flock by parents, and taught by those parents and the flock, then they have no survival skills. Most of them will just starve out there, or be lunch to another animal. We all understand that you believe it is worth risking their life to release all to the wild, but that opinion doesn't make you right. It is simply your opinion. So state your pathetic opinion if you must, but stop insulting others or dismissing their good advice. Your attitude is really not welcome or needed here.


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## FLIGHT 901 (Aug 30, 2018)

Jay3 said:


> Flight 901--You are a very opinionated moron. You often give bad advice, and you obviously don't know much about pigeons or anything else. Everyone is entitled to their opinion..........even you. But I am getting really tired of your rudeness and insulting others. Say what you think is best, and knock off the insults and name calling. The people on here do have experience, and you do not know everything.
> 
> With all the hundreds of birds lost by racers every year, why do they not all show up in the feral flocks? Where do you think they go? They are found out there starving and sick and rescued by people who know a lot more than you do. If a feral pigeon hasn't been brought into a flock by parents, and taught by those parents and the flock, then they have no survival skills. Most of them will just starve out there, or be lunch to another animal. We all understand that you believe it is worth risking their life to release all to the wild, but that opinion doesn't make you right. It is simply your opinion. So state your pathetic opinion if you must, but stop insulting others or dismissing their good advice. Your attitude is really not welcome or needed here.


On the Pyramid Scale, your insults are less than ad hominem. Whatever has rattled your cage, I suggest you seek counselling. As for giving advice. I think I am better placed than you as I operate real live rescue and don't sit comfortably on a forum espousing murdering unborn chicks. No one else has pulled you up on it, your cronies in particular that faint at the sound of bread yet conveniently ignore your murdering techniques. By the way, I did screenshot that and put it onto vegan websites, just so we all know what pigeon advocates for well-being advise.

My opinions are based on humanitarian principles not like yours, based on drivel. If you have to insult, at least apply a modicum of intelligence to your vitriol. You don't own this site and you may think you have the monopoly on insults, but pulling rank on me won't work. Your IQ (even when thawed) does not get above 0 Celsius. Stop trolling my posts and abide by forum rules:no squabbling and no getting your knickers in a twist.


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## FLIGHT 901 (Aug 30, 2018)

If anyone is bemused by the outburst of a certain user I can offer an explanation. I have not called anyone names or insulted anyone by name in this thread. Somehow he thinks I am referring to him which is paranoia. I don't flatter either. Why he felt the need to launch his tirade is due to historical reference.

The thread is still closed but I'll attach a screenshot. He advised someone to throw eggs away, even if they had chicks in them, claiming ''these things happen.'' They do and by sadists like him. Sensing his faux par on a pigeon well being forum, he then switched his potential act of cruelty by claiming I was self-righteous and a fantasist and sneered at my concerns. A classic case of someone being caught out and desperately trying to extricate themselves from guilt.

Since then, he and a crony have trolled my posts, deliberately contradicting my input. Except my threads which they can't contest. He can't tell you when he last rescued a pigeon. I can, last night. He does nothing but lie, all his advice is copy/paste from other's works. Anyone can do that and set themselves up as an expert. If anyone is not welcome here it is that murderous thug and his cronies. I may be new, but that does not lessen my integrity, which is preservation of life and not to imprison animals as slaves or ornaments.

I detest him and wish him to stay away from my posts and not unleash unsolicited attacks on me or my comments.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Rennie...I am a pigeon /dove rehabber. I have been since 1986. it's not unusual for me to get calls about tame pigeons that have attached themselves to a stranger. An example of such was a young black feral hen that flew into a couple's car while they were loading groceries . They took her home with them and left her outside on their front porch. Lucky for the pigeon they found me through this site. it was November and very cold. The pigeon was wondering around their house trying to see them thru the windows . They were afraid to let her inside because they had a cat. Of course I brought her home with me and when I tried introducing her to my pigeons , she was terrified as she didn't know what they were. She related to humans rather than pigeons. I have no doubt some kind soul had hand raised her and then let her go believing it was best to let her be free.
I do agree in theory that pigeons should be free but that isn't always practical as was the case of the dear pigeon in my example. 
The other instance in which this happens is with pigeons that have been kept and have no coping skills in the wild should they not home . My loft is full of banded pigeons that got lost and were found starving or were injured. Never have I had a keeper wanted their bird back. I suppose a few birds do survive if they find a feral flock that is supported by kind people that feed them. Life for a feral pigeon is hard. Food is hard to come by and there is never a shortage of predators to take them out not to mention those humans that engage in pest control of pigeons .
Hope that is constructive.


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## FLIGHT 901 (Aug 30, 2018)

Charis said:


> Rennie...I am a pigeon /dove rehabber. I have been since 1986. it's not unusual for me to get calls about tame pigeons that have attached themselves to a stranger. An example of such was a young black feral hen that flew into a couple's car while they were loading groceries . They took her home with them and left her outside on their front porch. Lucky for the pigeon they found me through this site. it was November and very cold. The pigeon was wondering around their house trying to see them thru the windows . They were afraid to let her inside because they had a cat. Of course I brought her home with me and when I tried introducing her to my pigeons , she was terrified as she didn't know what they were. She related to humans rather than pigeons. I have no doubt some kind soul had hand raised her and then let her go believing it was best to let her be free.
> I do agree in theory that pigeons should be free but that isn't always practical as was the case of the dear pigeon in my example.
> The other instance in which this happens is with pigeons that have been kept and have no coping skills in the wild should they not home . My loft is full of banded pigeons that got lost and were found starving or were injured. Never have I had a keeper wanted their bird back. I suppose a few birds do survive if they find a feral flock that is supported by kind people that feed them. Life for a feral pigeon is hard. Food is hard to come by and there is never a shortage of predators to take them out not to mention those humans that engage in pest control of pigeons .
> Hope that is constructive.


That is a sensible and honest piece of prose that I have read so far. This thread was about a feral pigeon initially, but I agree that racers/homers do get lost or abandoned by unscrupulous owners and do not understand fending for themselves. That is more of an indictment against humankind and a separate issue.

Like yourself, I do rescue pigeons, even going miles to find them. There is a thread (this one) where I explained how I was devastated to release a pigeon that was killed within 24 hours. It came from the wild and was returned to the same feeding ground. I do not have control over predators and would not wish to. They have a right to feed also. If my release pigeon wasn't killed, it would have been another and there have been several since.

It's a question of what our moral obligation is. I know getting emotionally attached can cloud our vision, causing discombobulation within our thought processes and emotional delineations. I get that and I do not seek to condemn anyone. What we must not do is supplant acts of kindness with cruelty. Taking any animal from the wild and enslaving it is cruel. If it wants to go, let it. Imagine, a bird's natural instinct is to fly and be free. Not to be an ornament and an object of amusement. 

I am neither sponsored or act as agent for pharmaceutical or pet food companies like some of the pub loudmouths that pretend to know about pigeons. All they do is check their accounts for blood money.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

You know Flight 901...There have been many young feral I have offered freedom thru the years. I soft release and feed feral from my garden. While some readily go, others hold back and would rather not. They are too afraid. When that happens, I put them back in the release cage and give them more time. If the decision is to stay after another go around, I let them. If I receive an adult feral that can fly, I always release from here and often they return with a mate. To me, this is about listening to each individual pigeon and respecting their decision.
I still maintain that a pigeon that has no concept of being a pigeon will never survive. That would be not unlike taking a 5 year old and leaving them in the forest.


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## FLIGHT 901 (Aug 30, 2018)

Charis said:


> You know Flight 901...There have been many young feral I have offered freedom thru the years. I soft release and feed feral from my garden. While some readily go, others hold back and would rather not. They are too afraid. When that happens, I put them back in the release cage and give them more time. If the decision is to stay after another go around, I let them. If I receive an adult feral that can fly, I always release from here and often they return with a mate. To me, this is about listening to each individual pigeon and respecting their decision.
> I still maintain that a pigeon that has no concept of being a pigeon will never survive. That would be not unlike taking a 5 year old and leaving them in the forest.


Right, this is the thing. You do not keep the pigeons against their will, preferring to release them. This thread has somewhat got away from the initial posit: '' Should I release a rescued pigeon?'' Surely that has to be yes. All the sub plots to that are not really relevant to the moral imperative. I understand that dividing and sub dividing the debate will throw more conundrums into the mix, but we have to stay on point.

As for tame pigeons, perhaps we should not tame them. Many wild life programs film predators killing other animals, they have a policy of non-intervention. Not to interfere in nature. In essence that is what we are doing. Those sick injured pigeons are a food source to other animals and we are interfering, possibly upsetting the balance. We don't turn away from our humanity which compels us to help them. What I do not do is think of keeping any animal captive any longer than I have to and I don't certainly treat them as objects. They are sentient beings. Justifying imprisoning animals is no more than exploitation.

I can't say I agree with your last paragraph, it's metaphorically paradoxical and convoluted.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

FLIGHT 901 said:


> Right, this is the thing. You do not keep the pigeons against their will, preferring to release them. This thread has somewhat got away from the initial posit: '' *Should I release a rescued pigeon?'' Surely that has to be yes*.
> 
> Actually...the answer is not yes or no. It is not black or white. Every bird needs to be evaluated critically on an individual basis.
> 
> ...


It's okay to not agree with my last paragraph. I do not agree with your assessment of it. Thank you for helping the pigeons that cross your path.


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## FLIGHT 901 (Aug 30, 2018)

Well done on the dissemination of my paragraphs. That's okay because we are from two different schools of thought on the two issues preceding the tertiary point. I'm happy that my moral argument far outweighs any selfish and predatory acts carried out by humans.

The tertiary argument is slightly obscure.''We interfere with nature every single minute of every single day on behalf of humankind. To me, not to help sick or injured of any species, is species discriminatory.'' Interfering with nature every single minute of the day et al is not really about pigeons is it! One could cut down a rain-forest or drive a road through verdant land, it has nothing to do with pigeons, not within the context of this thread.

Making analogies or counterpointing as a means of rebuttal has to be within the topic. I thought I showed that in my last post which seemingly inspired you to write the item above. Actually, if one does not help sick or injured animals of any species, it is not being species discriminatory because fundamentally you are not helping anything. You can only be speciesist if you favour certain animals over others, which is probably what you meant had you known the definition.

I've read your blurb. Do you really work for a wildlife foundation, fascinating stuff.


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## FLIGHT 901 (Aug 30, 2018)

Here we go. Let's put some noses out of joint. The thread is: ''Should I release a rescued pigeon?'' By that statement alone, it's obvious that the bird was at some stage among other pigeons. What we have had during this thread are a lot of self-appointed experts, none of whom have scientific qualifications or any evidence to back up their wild claims and self-serving opinions. I have made no such claims, my line of argument has been aesthetically from a moral view. Hence, I do not fall into pub loudmouth, know-all territory.

The stuff written is pseudo science, unmitigated dross. ''A pigeon won't know what another pigeon looks like.'' How does that work? Where do these feral pigeons come from? ''They don't have their eyes open.'' Yes, what are you doing, robbing nests? Are you breeding them from eggs? Where do the eggs come from? If they are bred in captivity they are not feral. There are too many flaws in these lies perpetrated as fact.

''Others will trumpet in unison, a bird has no skills to survive in the wild.'' Whose fault is that? Those that won't release them because their faux science demands that they adhere to their strategy of captivity at all costs. They set their selves up as experts and they form a clique to preen and pose so that the uninitiated will be suitably impressed. Those with less intelligence than them.

None of them can possibly know how any pigeon will survive in the wild after release. ''They are too scared.'' Well corrupting birds to the point of reliance on a surrogate will do that. Nonetheless, it is not exact science and I challenge them to provide a reference point for the data. They can't and that is why one obnoxious individual seeks to denigrate me because he is exposed as a fraud and a murderous thug.

Not to release because of abstract notions and spurious dogma is tantamount to cruelty. You are all guilty of it and you are a disgrace. Yes, that's all of you, racers, homers, showers, you all cage birds and call it sport or some such misnomer. It's cruelty. My movement opposes all cruelty to all animals, circuses, zoos, horse racing, dog racing, bull fighting and fur farming; farm animals, trophy hunting and anything that exploits animals. I'm here to see just what you lot get up to and how far you go to justify your cruelty. I am the only person entitled to speak about animals because I neither eat them, drink their secretions or wear them. 

I am ethical and treat my rescued pigeons ethically as I do any animal I come into contact with. You lot are a danger to animals, carnists to a man. I am going to blacklist this site because it harbours cruel sentiments and exponents of pigeon infanticide. I'm getting out before the clique have me banned, carrying my screenshots of cruel testaments for future publication. You are hypocrites, bigots and parasites and sub humans. Wallow in your cesspit of shame. I'm bored of your lies.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

FLIGHT 901 said:


> Here we go. Let's put some noses out of joint. The thread is: ''Should I release a rescued pigeon?'' By that statement alone, it's obvious that the bird was at some stage among other pigeons. What we have had during this thread are a lot of self-appointed experts, none of whom have scientific qualifications or any evidence to back up their wild claims and self-serving opinions. I have made no such claims, my line of argument has been aesthetically from a moral view. Hence, I do not fall into pub loudmouth, know-all territory.
> 
> The stuff written is pseudo science, unmitigated dross. ''A pigeon won't know what another pigeon looks like.'' How does that work? Where do these feral pigeons come from? ''They don't have their eyes open.'' Yes, what are you doing, robbing nests? Are you breeding them from eggs? Where do the eggs come from? If they are bred in captivity they are not feral. There are too many flaws in these lies perpetrated as fact.
> 
> ...


Wise decision. I think you are not a good fit with this forum.

Best of luck to you.


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## rudyard (Aug 9, 2016)

Good lord! The hyperbole, the black and white thinking, and... the hyperbole! 

My guess would be Borderline Personality Disorder.

I hope the ban is permanent. People helping animals shouldn't have to put up with that abuse 

cheers

-Rudy


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Rather than fight, why not get back to each of us doing whatever we can to help pigeons? Thanks.


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## jak2002003 (Jan 10, 2012)

Some people here seem to be very confused about feral pigeons. Feral pigeons are d*omesticated birds that have no home*. Same as feral dogs and cats. They don't belong in the 'wild' and every day is a struggle for most of them just to survive.

Buy rescuing a young bird, hand rearing it, you should keep it if you care about it in most cases. You can house it in a proper pigeon coop, let it free fly, and get a mate for it. It will have much more happy and contented life like that then being dumped in the city to take care of itself.

A very tame bird will have even more of a disadvantage in the wild. If you take the stance that they should live natural lives and live in the wild, even though you know they are likely to slowly starve to death, or get caught and killed in horrific ways by predators, when why the heck rescue and hand raise it in the first place, and not just say its nature if it dies?!

I hope people would not rescues abandoned puppies, kittens, raise them to be adults and them drive them out and dump them to survive on their own. This is the same situation with theses pigeons.

Attacking people and calling people names for them loving and caring for a rescued feral pigeon is very petty and shows ignorance. 

Also, on the egg issue, tossing, eating or otherwise disposing of pigeon eggs is a fact of life. We would be very stupid to let our birds continue breeding endlessly.. we would have thousands of pigeons and a plague on our hands! If you think is 'murder' to eat of throw away an egg then you have something missing up top! You better not have a shower or brush you teeth in case you kill some microscopic life.


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