The Our Lady of Peace Pigeons
On October 4th, perpetually full MickaCoo Pigeon and Dove Rescue was asked to take in a king pigeon that had been severly injured by a hawk-strike and taken to Avian Vet Hospital For the Birds in Cupertino by a Good Samaritan. We puzzled through our possible pigeon Tetris possibilities and, on 10/8, MickaCoo adopter, foster and volunteer Cheryl A picked the stitched-up and healing bird from the vet's office to foster in her home.
Cheryl named him Mogie and sent me this info-
His name is Mogie. Recorded as Magee, MacGee, Mc Gee, MacGhee, McGoey, McGahy, Mogey, Moggy, Mogie, Moggie, MacGhie, and possibly others, is Manx, Irish, and Scottish. It derives from "Mag", an early spelling of "Mac", indicating "son of ", plus the personal byname "Aodh" meaning "Fire", originally the name of a pagan god. I got here by researching hawk – since he/she is a survivor, if he/she turns out to be a she, then Maggie....
A couple of days later, MickaCoo received this e-mail:
Hi, Last week a friend of mine and I spotted 3 white king pigeons at our Lady of Peace on Great America Parkway in Santa Clara . One was attacked by a hawk. We were able to catch the injured bird and bring her to For the Birds veterinary clinic where they contacted your rescue. We were told you guys were able to take her in and find her a foster home. We are so grateful that you were able to help this bird. I am writing you because my friend has spotted at least 4 more white king pigeons at the same location. It is apparent someone continues to be releasing them, perhaps for a wedding. They will undoubtedly be attacked again and will not survive. I really don't know what to do about this. Our funds are limited and we don't have space to foster any birds. Please help us to find solutions for these poor birds. As I'm typing, he is telling me on the phone that they are being attacked by hawks.
Overwhelmed with the almost 60 pigeons and doves we already have in foster care and so much to do with so few hands to do it, I felt pretty helpless about our ability to help. This was my response:
Hi, Jaclyn-
Thank you so much for helping these poor birds. MickaCoo Pigeon & Dove Rescue has taken in the one you brought to For the Birds in Cupertino and it has been named Mogie. It was tore up really badly and it's amazing that it survived and escaped the hawk- most don't. I've cc'd Mogie's foster mom, Cheryl. Mogie's on twice daily pain med and antibiotics and, while traumatized, appears to be feisty and on the road to recovery. (See picture attached.) I've also cc'd animal columnist Linda Goldston regarding the white king pigeons that are still out there- struggling to survive in the wild. Their odds are very, very poor. They are domestic birds (with no survival skills) and, because they are bred to be big for maximum meat yield (squab), they are slow and clumsy flyers- easily killed by hawks. I'd encourage you, as someone who has witnessed this crueltly firsthand, to do everything you can to document it and get the word out. Contact the park's management and alert them, contact the local Humane Societies and Animal Care Services and reach out to the press. It is against the law to release domestic animals into the wild and, as you have seen first hand, terribly cruel. People often have NO clue how cruel it is to release a pet or domestic bird into the wild. People sometimes do it to save the bird's life (many are bought from live food markets) and need to understand the reality and consequences of their actions. Please keep me updated on your efforts. My direct email is AdoptKings@gmail.com and you can see what I do at my blog- www.RescueReport.org And again- thank you for helping these innocents.
Jaclyn replied-
Hi Elizabeth,
Thank you for your response. Mogie looked pretty bad when we took her in, so happy to hear she is doing well and in good hands. She looks so much better! My friend found 5 yesterday. He saw two being attacked by a hawk. I'm not sure the extent of their injuries. One is limping and the other is missing feathers from her head and neck. We can only afford to take one is for the initial vet visit, don't know if the veterinarian will charge extra for treatment. We were able to build a temporary shelter for them for the time being, but we really need to find a place for them to go. I've been researching the internet and posting pleas for help online in hopes someone has room or can help with medical costs. If you have any updates from the people you emailed yesterday, please let meknow. We also plan on putting signs up at the church letting people know these birds can not survive out there and are being attacked by hawks. I'm starting to wonder if whoever is releasing them thinks they are saving them. We need to let people know they are not wild birds and have no chance out there.Thanks again for helping Mogie!! She is such a beautiful bird. Jaclyn
Five more?! I panicked and this was my response to Jaclyn-
Oh man.
Even if the poor things end up getting euthanized, you saved them from a bad death. And, with help, they may be able to find good homes. They are easy to care for and don't require much. Check out these two links for ideas regarding what pigeons need in a home-
Success Stories & Why Have a Pigeon For a Pet?
And PLEASE do communicate to the church and anybody you can think of. I can't even keep up with all the correspondence I have to do so this story will depend on you all to get it out there. Though if you write something up, I'll glady post the story on my blog (but that is preaching to the choir and of only limited usefulness).
Pigeons are hardy and, if their injuries are modest, they will likely recover quite well. I've cc'd a friend and fellow pigeon rescuer (Cathy) who *may* be able to check them over for you. (Cathy- these are the folks that rescued the hawk-struck bird Cheryl picked up from FTB.)
Here are some resources that may be able to help. I wish we could do more- we're full up with more than 60 in foster care! Resources I recommend include-
BEST overall resource for all things pigeon related = Pigeon Talk atwww.pigeons.biz/forums (GREAT webgroup, local to international, post aboutyour need for help, tell them that MickaCoo is full and referred you or they'll refer you to us).
Peninsula Humane Society in San Mateo (will try to care for and place rather than euthanize)
Humane Society of Silicon Valley in Milpitas (will try to care for and place rather than euthanize)
Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley (isn't supposed to help domestic birds but often does)
Marin Humane Society in Novato (BEST quality of shelter life and may be able to take them and long-term house/place them if you're willing to transport-let me know regarding this one and we can discuss)
Dr. Cynthia Lynn at Montclair Pet Hospital in Oakland (treats rescues at very low/no cost)
THANK YOU for helping these poor things and do keep me posted. I've attached a flyer we use to help find homes for king pigeons... it's not easy but it can be done. MickaCoo has placed more than 300 in great homes in the past 3 years.
All best, Elizabeth
Not only did I panic, but I was also making a bit of a calculated decision that these birds would have a chance even if MickaCoo couldn't help them because Jaclyn and her friend were working so hard (and so effectively) on their behalf. Plus, at the time, I had no place to put five new pigeons.
Jaclyn did post to Pigeon Talk and folks did refer her back to me and I was like, "Aaaahhh! We're full! Somebody else needs to help!" and I posted this to Pigeon Talk:
MickaCoo Pigeon & Dove Rescue is full up with more than 60 foster pij & doves and we're helping Jaclyn as much as we can but others need to get involved (which is why I sent her here). I have never had the pleasure of flying pigeons for fun or sport. I've never had the opportunity to allow one of my pairs to keep and hatch the eggs that are so profoundly important to them. All I do is rescue unwanted and abandoned and homeless pigeons and doves as fast as I and the small crew of MickaCoo volunteers can and we can't keep up. We've taken in 6 at-risk-of-euthanasia pigeons this week. We've placed more than 300 in great homes in the past 3 years but, until more pigeon lovers get involved with rescue, there will not be enough people to do all that needs doing. I have a wish- I wish that every pigeon lover would devote 10% of their resources- their space and time and feed and vet costs to helping birds in need and to inspiring a "we take care of our own" (and I don't mean by culling the unwanted) sense of loyalty to these birds that give us all so much pleasure. I know many of you who will read this are devoting more than 10% of your pigeon care to rescues. Many of you are devoting 110%. Thank you. If you're not, please get involved. You don't have to rescue kings- help unwanted racers of which there are plenty or unreleasable ferals or the many lost homers and rollers and and and.
Then I tossed and turned all night feeling like, even if we were too full, MickaCoo still needed to get involved and help these birds and the good people that were trying to save them. Like, if MickaCoo doesn't help in this situation, what in the hell is MickaCoo? This train of thought was also embolded by the sudden availability of a new foster aviary which made shifting existing birds and fostering new ones a possibility.
So the next morning I contacted Jaclyn and made plans to meet her and her friend Rod in Santa Clara and to assess the five pigeons that they had been able to save.
These aren't baby kings like are so often purchased from live food markets and "set free" (released to be killed in the wild).
These birds are adults and three of the five had serious illnesses, including two with terrible respiratory infections (named Lupita & Paco) and one with deep, infected pressure-abcesses on its hocks, that Jaclyn named Francis.
Together, we wormed and medicated and sprayed and figured out a plan for the the five they had caught which included Rod & Jaclyn taking them all the way to Dr. Lynn in Oakland for low-care cost to be covered by MickaCoo (with the help of your donations, please!).
The next day, Jaclyn & Rod took Francis, Lupita & Paco to the vet and then brought them by my house where they got a little bit more coaching in care and medicating of pigeons.
Then they handed Francis, Lupita and Paco off to more experienced fosters and went home to care for their two- Hinata & Sukura and to try and raise funds to help towards vet costs. They've also been putting up signs and contacting church staff to try and stop more pigeons being dumped.
But to no avail. The next day, a nun spotted a Vietnamese couple dumping TEN more king pigeons.
King pigeons are a domesticated breed that have lost their ability to home and, being bred to be big and plump for maximum meat yield, they are poor flyers- something that predators do not hesitate to exploit. For the most part, when dumped, they just stand around wondering where their food dish is and don't go anywhere until something scares them or kills them. If scared, they'll fly a short distance and stop again, having no place else to go.
Rod & Jaclyn caught five more and grieved the car-hit one that they couldn't help in time.
Several of the new birds, are sick and Pedro required overnight care at For the Birds avian vet hospital.
Jaclyn and Rod have spent many hours on behalf of these dumped birds and so have lots of MickaCoo volunteers including Cheryl A (who fostered Mogie and is still fostering Lupita), Cheryl D (who is now fostering the recovering Mogie and caring for Lena and Paco), Zann (fostering droopy-winged Busta, and yet-to-be named #s 8 & 22) and the Wulfs (fostering Ichiban) and myself (fostering Francis) and Alice (who will be fostering Francis). And there will be many more hours logged as we work to raise enough funds to pay for their vet care and to get them all entered into the database and provide ongoing foster care and eventually to place them in qualified and approved adopters' homes.
Please help us to help these birds. We need donations to pay for vet care for five of the thirteen Our Lady of Peace pigeons that MickaCoo has taken in. Click here for information about how to donate. Please include "Our Lady of Peace pigeons" on your check or in your PayPal comment. And check back for updates. The last I heard there may still be two more from this group in need of help and rescuing and placing abandoned animals in forever homes takes time. This will be a long story.
Cheryl named him Mogie and sent me this info-
His name is Mogie. Recorded as Magee, MacGee, Mc Gee, MacGhee, McGoey, McGahy, Mogey, Moggy, Mogie, Moggie, MacGhie, and possibly others, is Manx, Irish, and Scottish. It derives from "Mag", an early spelling of "Mac", indicating "son of ", plus the personal byname "Aodh" meaning "Fire", originally the name of a pagan god. I got here by researching hawk – since he/she is a survivor, if he/she turns out to be a she, then Maggie....
A couple of days later, MickaCoo received this e-mail:
Hi, Last week a friend of mine and I spotted 3 white king pigeons at our Lady of Peace on Great America Parkway in Santa Clara . One was attacked by a hawk. We were able to catch the injured bird and bring her to For the Birds veterinary clinic where they contacted your rescue. We were told you guys were able to take her in and find her a foster home. We are so grateful that you were able to help this bird. I am writing you because my friend has spotted at least 4 more white king pigeons at the same location. It is apparent someone continues to be releasing them, perhaps for a wedding. They will undoubtedly be attacked again and will not survive. I really don't know what to do about this. Our funds are limited and we don't have space to foster any birds. Please help us to find solutions for these poor birds. As I'm typing, he is telling me on the phone that they are being attacked by hawks.
Overwhelmed with the almost 60 pigeons and doves we already have in foster care and so much to do with so few hands to do it, I felt pretty helpless about our ability to help. This was my response:
Hi, Jaclyn-
Thank you so much for helping these poor birds. MickaCoo Pigeon & Dove Rescue has taken in the one you brought to For the Birds in Cupertino and it has been named Mogie. It was tore up really badly and it's amazing that it survived and escaped the hawk- most don't. I've cc'd Mogie's foster mom, Cheryl. Mogie's on twice daily pain med and antibiotics and, while traumatized, appears to be feisty and on the road to recovery. (See picture attached.) I've also cc'd animal columnist Linda Goldston regarding the white king pigeons that are still out there- struggling to survive in the wild. Their odds are very, very poor. They are domestic birds (with no survival skills) and, because they are bred to be big for maximum meat yield (squab), they are slow and clumsy flyers- easily killed by hawks. I'd encourage you, as someone who has witnessed this crueltly firsthand, to do everything you can to document it and get the word out. Contact the park's management and alert them, contact the local Humane Societies and Animal Care Services and reach out to the press. It is against the law to release domestic animals into the wild and, as you have seen first hand, terribly cruel. People often have NO clue how cruel it is to release a pet or domestic bird into the wild. People sometimes do it to save the bird's life (many are bought from live food markets) and need to understand the reality and consequences of their actions. Please keep me updated on your efforts. My direct email is AdoptKings@gmail.com and you can see what I do at my blog- www.RescueReport.org And again- thank you for helping these innocents.
Jaclyn replied-
Hi Elizabeth,
Thank you for your response. Mogie looked pretty bad when we took her in, so happy to hear she is doing well and in good hands. She looks so much better! My friend found 5 yesterday. He saw two being attacked by a hawk. I'm not sure the extent of their injuries. One is limping and the other is missing feathers from her head and neck. We can only afford to take one is for the initial vet visit, don't know if the veterinarian will charge extra for treatment. We were able to build a temporary shelter for them for the time being, but we really need to find a place for them to go. I've been researching the internet and posting pleas for help online in hopes someone has room or can help with medical costs. If you have any updates from the people you emailed yesterday, please let meknow. We also plan on putting signs up at the church letting people know these birds can not survive out there and are being attacked by hawks. I'm starting to wonder if whoever is releasing them thinks they are saving them. We need to let people know they are not wild birds and have no chance out there.Thanks again for helping Mogie!! She is such a beautiful bird. Jaclyn
Five more?! I panicked and this was my response to Jaclyn-
Oh man.
Even if the poor things end up getting euthanized, you saved them from a bad death. And, with help, they may be able to find good homes. They are easy to care for and don't require much. Check out these two links for ideas regarding what pigeons need in a home-
Success Stories & Why Have a Pigeon For a Pet?
And PLEASE do communicate to the church and anybody you can think of. I can't even keep up with all the correspondence I have to do so this story will depend on you all to get it out there. Though if you write something up, I'll glady post the story on my blog (but that is preaching to the choir and of only limited usefulness).
Pigeons are hardy and, if their injuries are modest, they will likely recover quite well. I've cc'd a friend and fellow pigeon rescuer (Cathy) who *may* be able to check them over for you. (Cathy- these are the folks that rescued the hawk-struck bird Cheryl picked up from FTB.)
Here are some resources that may be able to help. I wish we could do more- we're full up with more than 60 in foster care! Resources I recommend include-
BEST overall resource for all things pigeon related = Pigeon Talk atwww.pigeons.biz/forums (GREAT webgroup, local to international, post aboutyour need for help, tell them that MickaCoo is full and referred you or they'll refer you to us).
Peninsula Humane Society in San Mateo (will try to care for and place rather than euthanize)
Humane Society of Silicon Valley in Milpitas (will try to care for and place rather than euthanize)
Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley (isn't supposed to help domestic birds but often does)
Marin Humane Society in Novato (BEST quality of shelter life and may be able to take them and long-term house/place them if you're willing to transport-let me know regarding this one and we can discuss)
Dr. Cynthia Lynn at Montclair Pet Hospital in Oakland (treats rescues at very low/no cost)
THANK YOU for helping these poor things and do keep me posted. I've attached a flyer we use to help find homes for king pigeons... it's not easy but it can be done. MickaCoo has placed more than 300 in great homes in the past 3 years.
All best, Elizabeth
Not only did I panic, but I was also making a bit of a calculated decision that these birds would have a chance even if MickaCoo couldn't help them because Jaclyn and her friend were working so hard (and so effectively) on their behalf. Plus, at the time, I had no place to put five new pigeons.
Jaclyn did post to Pigeon Talk and folks did refer her back to me and I was like, "Aaaahhh! We're full! Somebody else needs to help!" and I posted this to Pigeon Talk:
MickaCoo Pigeon & Dove Rescue is full up with more than 60 foster pij & doves and we're helping Jaclyn as much as we can but others need to get involved (which is why I sent her here). I have never had the pleasure of flying pigeons for fun or sport. I've never had the opportunity to allow one of my pairs to keep and hatch the eggs that are so profoundly important to them. All I do is rescue unwanted and abandoned and homeless pigeons and doves as fast as I and the small crew of MickaCoo volunteers can and we can't keep up. We've taken in 6 at-risk-of-euthanasia pigeons this week. We've placed more than 300 in great homes in the past 3 years but, until more pigeon lovers get involved with rescue, there will not be enough people to do all that needs doing. I have a wish- I wish that every pigeon lover would devote 10% of their resources- their space and time and feed and vet costs to helping birds in need and to inspiring a "we take care of our own" (and I don't mean by culling the unwanted) sense of loyalty to these birds that give us all so much pleasure. I know many of you who will read this are devoting more than 10% of your pigeon care to rescues. Many of you are devoting 110%. Thank you. If you're not, please get involved. You don't have to rescue kings- help unwanted racers of which there are plenty or unreleasable ferals or the many lost homers and rollers and and and.
Then I tossed and turned all night feeling like, even if we were too full, MickaCoo still needed to get involved and help these birds and the good people that were trying to save them. Like, if MickaCoo doesn't help in this situation, what in the hell is MickaCoo? This train of thought was also embolded by the sudden availability of a new foster aviary which made shifting existing birds and fostering new ones a possibility.
So the next morning I contacted Jaclyn and made plans to meet her and her friend Rod in Santa Clara and to assess the five pigeons that they had been able to save.
These aren't baby kings like are so often purchased from live food markets and "set free" (released to be killed in the wild).
These birds are adults and three of the five had serious illnesses, including two with terrible respiratory infections (named Lupita & Paco) and one with deep, infected pressure-abcesses on its hocks, that Jaclyn named Francis.
Together, we wormed and medicated and sprayed and figured out a plan for the the five they had caught which included Rod & Jaclyn taking them all the way to Dr. Lynn in Oakland for low-care cost to be covered by MickaCoo (with the help of your donations, please!).
The next day, Jaclyn & Rod took Francis, Lupita & Paco to the vet and then brought them by my house where they got a little bit more coaching in care and medicating of pigeons.
Then they handed Francis, Lupita and Paco off to more experienced fosters and went home to care for their two- Hinata & Sukura and to try and raise funds to help towards vet costs. They've also been putting up signs and contacting church staff to try and stop more pigeons being dumped.
But to no avail. The next day, a nun spotted a Vietnamese couple dumping TEN more king pigeons.
King pigeons are a domesticated breed that have lost their ability to home and, being bred to be big and plump for maximum meat yield, they are poor flyers- something that predators do not hesitate to exploit. For the most part, when dumped, they just stand around wondering where their food dish is and don't go anywhere until something scares them or kills them. If scared, they'll fly a short distance and stop again, having no place else to go.
Rod & Jaclyn caught five more and grieved the car-hit one that they couldn't help in time.
Several of the new birds, are sick and Pedro required overnight care at For the Birds avian vet hospital.
Jaclyn and Rod have spent many hours on behalf of these dumped birds and so have lots of MickaCoo volunteers including Cheryl A (who fostered Mogie and is still fostering Lupita), Cheryl D (who is now fostering the recovering Mogie and caring for Lena and Paco), Zann (fostering droopy-winged Busta, and yet-to-be named #s 8 & 22) and the Wulfs (fostering Ichiban) and myself (fostering Francis) and Alice (who will be fostering Francis). And there will be many more hours logged as we work to raise enough funds to pay for their vet care and to get them all entered into the database and provide ongoing foster care and eventually to place them in qualified and approved adopters' homes.
Please help us to help these birds. We need donations to pay for vet care for five of the thirteen Our Lady of Peace pigeons that MickaCoo has taken in. Click here for information about how to donate. Please include "Our Lady of Peace pigeons" on your check or in your PayPal comment. And check back for updates. The last I heard there may still be two more from this group in need of help and rescuing and placing abandoned animals in forever homes takes time. This will be a long story.
posted by Elizabeth at
2:38 PM
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