Pigeons are ‘Sky Puppies’: PETA India Defends Delightful Birds Following Release of BNHS and JSW Foundation Documentary
Following the release of a documentary from the Bombay Natural History Society and JSW Foundation which unfairly and inaccurately maligns pigeons as posing a danger to human health, PETA India has erected an appeal at Dadar’s Kabutar Khana, reminding everyone that pigeons are just as sensitive and deserving of respect as dogs who share our homes. Only a speciesist – a misguided person who believes that humans are superior to other animals – would treat them poorly or differently.
PETA India points out common rock pigeons are native to India while many were brought over by Europeans to eat and shoot for ‘fun’. A review of studies and literature shows that the risk of them spreading diseases to humans is extremely low, even for people who have frequent close contact with them. Pigeons also seem generally resistant to bird flu – which is currently spreading across India and has already infected and killed humans in other parts of the world – and are highly unlikely to spread it. By contrast, chickens, cows, and other animals raised on cramped, filthy farms are known carriers and spreaders of bird flu and many other zoonotic pathogens.
Pigeons are incredibly intelligent – they can distinguish works of art from different artists, learn to recognize more than 50 written words, count numbers as well as primates can, and beat humans in complex memorization tasks. A 10-year study of pigeon flight patterns above roads designed by humans conducted at Oxford University found that the birds rely more on their knowledge of human transport routes than on their internal magnetic compasses. One scientist remarked, “We followed some which flew up the Oxford bypass and even turned off at particular junctions. It’s very human-like.”
PETA India’s billboard is located at Kabutar Khana bus stop in Dadar’s Kabutar Khana in Mumbai.
