This browser does not support the Video element.
Pigeon trapping video in Chicago suburb sparks controversy over animal treatment
Animal rights advocates are voicing concern over pigeon-trapping practices in Niles after a video surfaced showing workers catching pigeons in nets and placing them into traps.
NILES, Ill. - Animal rights advocates are voicing concern over pigeon-trapping practices in Niles after a video surfaced showing workers catching pigeons in nets and placing them into traps.
The footage, taken Wednesday outside the Jungle of Niles Plant Outlet on Golf Road, has circulated widely on social media, raising questions about how the birds are handled and the ultimate fate of the trapped pigeons.
The Dallas-based company, CatchEm All Pigeons LLC, is behind the trapping and has defended its work, stating that the pigeons pose a public health risk and spread disease. Signs around the area also discourage the public from feeding pigeons and other birds. The company is reportedly working in both Niles and Chicago to reduce the pigeon population.
However, animal rights groups claim the company is not merely relocating the birds. Jodie Wiederkehr of the Chicago Alliance for Animals suggested the birds may be transported to Texas and sold for uses such as hunting practice. Animal rescuer Jacqueline Tsevis added that the birds might be sold to hunters or used for dog-training exercises.
"We are delivering them to an awful life," Tsevis said.
A past online post reportedly linked CatchEm All Pigeons LLC to the sale of trapped pigeons at $10 each, leading animal advocates to allege that the company profits by selling the birds.
The Niles Police Department released the following statement.
"The company seeks permission from property owners/managers to trap and relocate the pigeons. The Village does not issue a permit for this. NPD patrol was made aware through a call for service and spoke with a company rep, as did the Animal Control Officer. Pigeons are not a protected or regulated species. This is not a criminal investigation."
Jungle of Niles Plant Outlet distanced itself from the operation, saying in a statement that it was not involved in the decision to trap the pigeons and expressing hope that the calls to its business, including some reported death threats, would cease.