The following are quotes from credible experts with the REAL
FACTS about pigeons and public health:
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TV series segment, Healthier Living, shows how feeding wild pigeons
helps relieve the stresses of day to day living.
"...diseases associated with [pigeons] present
little risk to people..." Dr. Michael McNeil,
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta.
"One man's nuisance is another man's pleasure." "'People worry
that pigeons carry disease,' but the danger is 'an exaggeration created
by pest control companies looking for business.'" - Guy Hodge, Naturalist
for the Humane Society of the United States.
"The New York City Department of Health has no documented cases
of communicable disease transmitted from pigeons to humans." - Dr.
Manuel Vargas, New York City Department of Health.
"Pigeons are not a public health hazard. Nobody in public
health is losing any sleep over pigeons." - Dr. Joel McCullough, Medical
Director, Environmental Health, Chicago Department of Public Health.
"[...the Arizona Department of Health Services does]
not
have any documented human cases of disease which have been definitively
linked to outdoor pigeons or pigeon droppings. When cases of diseases
are reported (and by law [certain bird related zoonoses are] reportable
diseases), VBZD staff conduct complete investigations to confirm the diagnosis
and identify the source of infection. …Our case investigation
data gathered so far, would suggest that pigeons are not significant
as a cause of human disease in Arizona."
“We don’t see pigeon-related-disease problems...”
“I
don’t think they’re seeing them anywhere..." -
Bill Kottkamp, Supervisor, Vector Control, St. Louis County Health Department
"Pigeons do not get avian influenza
and don't carry the virus," Dr. Cornelius Kiley, DVM, Canadian Food
Inspection Agency
Although pigeons have been shown to become infected with West
Nile Virus, they do not act as reservoirs and
therefore
don't
transmit the virus..." -Pennsylvania West Nile Virus Surveillance Program.
As a result, pigeons are generally no longer accepted
for West Nile Virus testing by other government disease-surveillance agencies
in the U.S and elsewhere.
“We do have some concern about the indiscriminate killing
of pigeons.” “[For example, histoplasmosis disease rates
are] misleading and irrelevant, because histo’s so ubiquitous.
It’s
in the soil, regardless of whether pigeons are around or not...”-
Dr. Marshall Lyon, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta
“Problematic density [affecting human safety] is probably more determined
by people getting their possessions defaced.” “I’m not terribly worried
about pigeons.” - Dr. Alex Bermudez, University of Missouri-Columbia College
of Veterinary Medicine
"I am not aware of any reported cases of diseases that were
transmitted
by pigeons in Mohave County." - Larry Webert, R.S., Mohave County Environmental
Health Division
.
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State Headquarters:
Phoenix, Arizona
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http://www.urbanwildlifesociety.org/
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Hotline: 602.ANIMALS Office:
602.265.BIRD
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E-mail: animals@urbanwildlifesociety.org
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