Guest Post by Marissa Monaco

I was leaving a hotel in San Francisco and noticed a pigeon lying on the ground. The pigeon didn’t move so I ran to my car, grabbed a pair of gloves, asked the hotel receptionist for a box, and upon closer examination, I noticed the bird had an injured wing. I scooped him up and placed him in the box and began to frantically search for wildlife rescues. The humane society took him in and quickly told me he would be put down because he could never fly again. I left in tears but to my surprise, I received a call minutes later explaining the bird had a band on it’s foot indicating it was used for pigeon racing. They asked if I could take the bird to the humane society down the road. Upon dropping the bird off, they explained to me the bird was a mere 5-6 weeks old. The bird, now named Barry, had broken both his ulna and radius during what is believed to be his first training session as a racing pigeon. Once admitted to the SPCA, I was notified Palomacy would rescue Barry if the owner didn’t claim him after the four day holding period. Those were the most stressful four days.

I wanted nothing more than for the owner to release him to Palomacy. I immediately searched for Palomacy’s website and began reading information about racing pigeons, pigeon care, their personalities, and just about anything else one may desire to learn about pigeons. I found happiness in learning that pigeons enjoy looking at themselves in mirrors and they can wear pigeon pants to allow them to spend time outside of their aviary without making a mess. I couldn’t wait until the holding period was up to find out Barry’s fate but then I received a call stating Palomacy rescued him and took him to a vet where he received excellent care.

I felt tremendous relief knowing he would finally feel love and safety. I learned his wing was amputated and he would finally have a quality of life with someone who values his beautiful soul and existence. Once I connected with both Jill and Elizabeth through the Palomacy help group on Facebook, I started to receive photo after photo of Barry with every update I could have imagined.

He was thriving! He made new friends and was as spoiled as can be! I felt tremendous relief after each and every update knowing he was in the best hands. It speaks volumes when someone takes that much time to bring comfort to a perfect stranger.  I watched him heal and as soon as I could, I made a trip to visit him.

I met a very different bird when I walked in to see him. He wasn’t scared anymore, he wasn’t quiet and still. Barry was lively and playful. His heart was healing and he finally got to be a kid. I held him tight and kissed his head and told him how much I loved him. I knew in that moment everything was going to be okay. I just found out today Barry was placed in what is hopefully his forever home and I couldn’t have imagined a better outcome. Barry may never fly again but it’s evident he isn’t the least bit bothered by the trauma he experienced just weeks prior. He knew he was safe.

 

 

Editor’s note: Sweet, smart, gentle, curious Barry was bred, used, endangered & abandoned for the “sport” of pigeon racing. Barry’s life didn’t matter. He was used as a disposable piece of equipment. If Barry had made it back to his loft at less than winning speed, he’d have been killed or sold to be used for live target shooting, hunting dog training or falconers (“culled”). If his speed was competitive, he would have been used, raced, again & again, until his luck ran out. Pigeons suffer & die in every race. When Barry was injured & grounded in San Francisco (most likely a hawk or car strike), he was supposed to suffer & die where he fell. (Pigeon racers call that “natural”.) Barry’s worst moment became his best when kind passerby Marissa scooped him up & went to all kinds of trouble to get him help. The staff at Peninsula Humane Society took him in & got him safe & stabilized & then, rather than be euthanized for his injuries, he was transferred to Palomacy. With your help- our incredible volunteers, donors and veterinary partners, we got Barry the life saving treatment & surgery he needed to live! He was badly hurt & infected such that even with his shattered wing amputated, he required a full month of medical care including a second hospitalization to get him through it all. Barry’s vet expenses added up to $4,523*! And while that was a big bill, these injured racing survivors routinely require $1,000 to $2,000 in medical care. (And that’s with our rescue discount.)  No one of us could do all this alone but together, we are saving lives & raising awareness. We want to see pigeon racing banned. That will be the only way to stem this needless suffering for so many. Your support makes all the difference. Adopt. Volunteer. Donate.

*Wondering how it can cost $4,523 to save a pigeon’s life? Here are Barry’s invoices.