Thanks to the hard work and dedication of PETA supporter, Simone Phillips, and our campaigners, the pigeons that were trapped, starving and dehydrated in Transport for London nets have been saved – hooray!

After more than a month of palaver with TfL, they finally pulled their finger out and the poor pigeons of the hour are now at a rehabilitation centre. But under which bridge will this nasty little incident crop up next? Time to stop scapegoating pigeons methinks, and treat them like any other animal. Well done Simone, gold star for you!

Image: BestFriendsNetwork / CC

A few weeks ago, a PETA supporter contacted us to say that pigeons were trapped, dead and dying in Transport for London (TfL) nets in Tower Bridge Road. It turns out that this is happening under bridges all over London.

So our campaigners worked hard to get TfL to sort out the situation at Tower Bridge, which after countless calls and e-mail exchanges, they finally did. Yet citywide, the pigeon control program seems to have made no progress. Apparently, TfL hasn’t replied to e-mails from the Met Police and not made any commitment to solve the London problem.

Countless pigeons and their unfledged babies, called squabs are trapped and the cruelty may, according to Pigeon Control and Advisory Service (PiCAS), violate the Animal Welfare Act 2006. “If TfL responded to transportation situations the way it has dealt with these starving birds, London would be at a complete standstill”, says our Managing Director Ingrid E Newkirk. “TfL is causing untold numbers of birds to die slow, agonising deaths even though humane and workable solutions are only a phone call away.”

We’re asking them to work with the PiCAS which offers solutions for humanely controlling pigeons - within the law. I’ll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, catch a load of this and (click to view):

Letter to TfL about pigeons