TV Schedule

Pigeons killed at Wimbledon

  2. Peewong
  3. related topics
PETA is attacking the organizers of the Wimbledon tournament for calling in marksmen to shootdown dive-bombing pigeons that were distracting players and leaving droppings on the tables of the open-air restaurant.

The main concern, Wimbledon spokesperson Johnny Perkins said, was the health hazard of bird droppings.

Perkins says that usually hawks are employed to scare off any pigeons that may interfere with the intense matches at Wimbledon, but in this case, the hawks couldn't completely cover all the areas needed.

PETA calls this action "cruel and illegal behaviour" that was used more so as an initial tactic than a last resort solely because the pigeons were a distraction to the players, not because of a public health concern as Wimbledon organizers claim.


What do you think? Were the organizers using the guise of public health to kill the pigeons?


To me, I guess the reason doesn't matter...I just which killing the pigeons was just not one of the possibilities to be taken into consideration.
Peewong

82 responses // Pigeons killed at Wimbledon

  • Pigeons are Doves. Thats like killing peace dudes.
    joshuaheller
    2 responses to this
  • http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=752958716456475...
    Pigeons are rats with wings. I welcome the news of fewer pigeons in the London area.
    abbym0308
    2 responses to this
  • They only used two hawks... Why not three?
    handshakeheartbreak
  • Kill 200 and you get an Xbox achievement.
    Seriously, get over it. It's a f**king winged rat.
    Give me one good reason why these pests should be allowed to live.
    Dmitri_Molotov
    4 responses to this
  • becuase they are animals like anything else thats why!! this is cruel and isnt needed.

    There are other ways to control their numbers, and keep them away during the tennis period - - hire more hawks - or, perhaps... have indoor cafes to prevent them coming in search of food? Surely, this would prevent there being any "public health hazard"..? no?
    Fii
    • Fii
    • 3 months ago
    1 response to this
  • I don't think it's unreasonable to kill something that does nothing but fly, eat, sleep, and sh*t all over your cafe. I do like the hawk idea though. Would you like some aerial combat with your lunch?
    Dmitri_Molotov
  • watch this comment being used here and here
    some animals we like, some we don't. these flying rat-cousins know how to survive WELL on their own. And they don't need you Animal Lovers' love. That's what I think.
    Imposeum
  • http://current.com/items/87411261_illegal_pigeon_feeder...
    Check out this pod, which shows what they were trying to do in New York to lower the pigeon population ... much more humane!
    pstuart
  • Pigeons are not pests. If you don't want bird droppings on a cafe, put some of those umbrella type things over the cafe tables outside. Birds and other animals shouldn't be killed just because their droppings might bug with a stupid tennis match.

    Scare them away. Ya know, on some occasions carrier pigeons played important roles during WWII. Also, pigeons are cute, they just poop like any other bird.
    FallenMorgan
  • Not to discredit the importance of homing pigeons in WWII. And not to justify killing them on account of preppy sporty folk trying to have a poop-free tennis match... But I think that people who live in cities with massive pigeon populations, like London, have a different take on the birds. I see pigeons as pests. I feel sorry for them. They are dirty and diseased. Many I see have mangled wings, missing feet and eyes. They steal food from babies in prams. It's not nice.
    crababble
  • killing animals is wrong. i am an individual who completely loves animals and cares about their saftey to an extent. that may sound very hypocrtical but i dont feel the need to write a huge story about it.
    theres a fine line....check this out.
    then maybe you'll think differently about peta
    i dont agree with everything in this article, but some of you may be suprised on what PETA is about
    http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/282260/peta_wh...
    themachine09
  • I am not a big fan of pigeons. So I am not super sad they died. Pigeons like to poop on people - me especially. There are lots of them too. Maybe some of them needed to die?
    Swiyyah
    1 response to this
  • It's about time.
    Scott_Bromley
  • They are pest. Their droppings are an open invitation for all kinds of gross sicknesses if one allows them to roam free. If they are smart they'd fly away and go somewhere else. But if they insist on sticking around and dying then I guess survival of the fittest it is.
    J_Jammer
  • life long member of peta.

    People
    Eating
    Tasty
    Animals
    gimp15
    2 responses to this
  • why not use more hawks? could have been simple enough.
    squawfrazier
  • Hmmm...dogs kind of annoy me when they bark, why don't we shoot a barking dog? It'd be for the same reason they kill pigeons...

    *sarcasm*
    FallenMorgan
    7 responses to this
  • http://current.com/items/88922642_don_t_feed_the_pigeon...
    I love the idea of using hawks to get rid of them! They should do the same in Venice.
    saverio
  • I really hate to insert my opinion into this one. O.K. , go ahead and fill my mail box up. Animals that are a health hazard and or tasty should be taken care of. I hope the restaurants at Wimbeldon serve sqab. I love animals. They should not be mistreated. One of the worst scoldings I ever received from my dad was for being to rough with a cow. Never mind that she had just kicked me so hard that my future children felt it. This man also taught me how to hunt and fish. We are still omnivores and there is still a need to protect the public health. Let the tirade begin.
    bluestranger
  • Peta really are a bunch of freaks with nothing better to do.
    They are horrible diseased rats.

    Have you not seen the two part series finale of house....
    Owwmykneecap
  • The restaurant owners should have just relied on the hawks, it's stupid of them to try and control every aspect of nature. Are you going to kill the sky, because it's raining on your customers? People who eat outside shouldn't complain about things that are happening outside.

    It's right of PETA (crazy ass as they are) to oppose this. But seriously? There are far more important things going on. Why is this front page news over the deaths of huge amounts of people? Kind of pathetic.
    PoisonTheMonkey
  • who cares?
    sorry but pigeons are not like becoming extinct
    it's funny how people care more animals than humans
    ctrl_alt_del
  • save the pigeons! kill the babies!!
    shadowtrekker
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFGq0j4u15s&feature=rela...
    pigeons will replace postmen someday
    riverdeer
  • This sickens me. It seems like every animal is in danger of our ignorance and power. Must be too hard to pay someone to keep constant maintenance of the tables, they'd rather just take the easy way out.

    Sickening.
    KaraLynne
    1 response to this
  • I guess next time the tournament officials should let the pigeons know ahead of time where the PeTA people are in the crowd... that way everyone is clear on where the birds should be pooping.
    skatherine
  • I thought this article was a joke. Sad to see it was not. PETA cares about pigeons? What happened to the polar bears? And why does it make a difference if marksmen are killing the birds or hired hawks are doing the job? The pigeons are dead either way; both method initiated by people.
    renbyrd
  • I like my pigeon well done with some ginger. Many restaurants in Hong Kong harbor serve pigeon. That is some good food. Thanks for reminding me about one of my favorite meals. I'm gonna see if my local Chinese restaurant serves pigeon. Kinda hungry now just thinking about it. Where's that menu?
    YourMothersMilk
    1 response to this
  • PETA could get much more accomplished if they would stick to serious issues. This reads like an Onion article.
    BetterWatching
    1 response to this
  • pigeons serve exactly one purpose - that is , they fill precisely one niche in the food chain - they are food for falcons - and whenever one has too many pigeons it's fair to say there aren't enough falcons .
    malathion
  • Erm...they're pigeons.
    I'm an animal lover, and I'm not one for sadistic, inhumane killing of any animals without a good reason - but pigeons aren't anywhere near endangered, and they are not anywhere near being an asset to humanity or even ecosystems outside cities/ towns.
    They aren't even smart birds. They're stupid, disease-spreading vermin.
    Cows of the sky.
    Get over it; human beings aren't the only animals that are grossly overpopulating our planet. Livestock and vermin could use a good culling...in the most humane way possible, of course. Bullets work.
    Humdrum
  • I support the pigeons.
    clemwilson
  • I admit, I am not a pigeon fan. But I think a pigeon shot dead and plummeting to my plate would be more disturbing than some bird poop in my hair!
    Tori
  • Oh good God, this made the news over 19 more meaningful stories on the home page. I am going out right now and hunting pigeons in protest. –in GTA4
    YourMothersMilk
  • Yeah, the pigeons are interrupting the games, but the players are interrupting their playground.
    devinh
  • I hate pigeons. Kill 'em!
    davidtaylor
  • I think we should be worrying about people instead of pigeons
    ThomasGreen
  • people, animals should be killed only for food and in any other purpose animals don't deserve to die. I hate animal killing for sports i mean come on, what's that. What satisfaction is it. I think that animal killers who do that for sport are potential people killers. it's psychological. Leave the animals alone especially doves. I don't like PETA too. They are too much concerned about it. Maybe you'll find me contradictory but i cant explain everything here now.
    bloodyjag