Current mood:

cranky

More WTF from the news
Ok, this probably isn't triggering, unless you're a bird, but it sure is fucking weird:

US files charges in LA in deaths of 1,000s of hawks and falcons
24 May 2007

Federal authorities have charged seven Southern California men associated with "roller pigeon" clubs on charges related to the fatal beatings and shootings of federally protected raptors....

In California, a special agent infiltrated several roller pigeon clubs and learned about members' efforts to trap and kill raptors, specifically Cooper's hawks, red-tailed hawks and Peregrine falcons, according to court documents. Investigators estimate that leaders and members of the National Birmingham Roller Club (NBRC) and other enthusiast organizations in the Los Angeles metropolitan area are responsible for killing 1,000 to 2,000 raptors annually. One official of the NBRC claims to have killed as many as 50 raptors annually for the past several years, according to court documents. One defendant told the investigating agent that he had filled a five-gallon bucket with talons that he had cut from slain hawks.

The seven California defendants are affiliated with clubs that promote and compete with roller pigeons - also known as Birmingham rollers - which are native to England and have a genetic defect that causes them to flip backwards while in flight. Enthusiasts breed the pigeons with an eye toward having a group of the birds roll simultaneously, while recovering before hitting the ground. However, the distinctive nature of the birds' flight attracts predators, such as Cooper's hawks, because the in-flight flipping makes them appear to be easy targets.

Ok, leaving aside that breeding neurologically damaged animals for your amusement is pretty fucking sketchy, I've gotta say that between Falco peregrinus and Columba livia, there's only one the world needs more of, and it's not the pigeon. I mean, this is like me clubbing black-footed ferrets because they've been messing with my pet rats... after I let the rats run around in my backyard with little balls and chains around their legs. If I had a backyard, and that backyard had black-footed ferrets in it, which tragically is not the case.

So as one keeper of unpopular pets to another, NBRC, fuck you.