A wildlife rescue team is urging the public not to utilize human hair color on wild birds (or any animal, for that matter) after the discovery of a pink-colored pigeon in New york city City on Monday.
According to ABC 7 NY, the bird remained in Madison Square Park on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. A do-gooder was apparently strolling by when they identified the intense pink pigeon and instantly saw it remained in poor health.
The Wild Bird Fund, a not-for-profit wildlife rehab and education center based in New York City, rapidly identified the bird to be a king pigeon.
“I don’t think we’ve ever really had a pink pigeon come into the clinic, so we were all pretty surprised,” Antonio Sanchez of the Wild Bird Fund informed ABC 7. “We were honestly disgusted that someone would do this.”
Specialists state somebody most likely bought the bird at a poultry market and colored it pink prior to launching it into the wild.
The threats of this are tremendous. Not just is this type of bird indicated to be domesticated, however it has actually never ever flown and cannot discover food or escape predators by itself.
“She shouldn’t be on the streets, she has no survival skills,” Sanchez continued. “She relies on people for everything.”
The rescue group has actually done its finest to take care of the ailing bird, even offering it a sweet and fitting pet name, thanks to its rescuer: Flamingo.
However according to a current upgrade from the Wild Bird Fund, the pigeon’s condition stays unpleasant.
“After giving our pink guest time to stabilize, our team tried several methods to remove the dye, which we believe is hair dye, with limited success,” checked out a tweet from the not-for-profit on Thursday. “One problem is that the dye has a strong odor, and we’re concerned for the bird’s respiratory health.”
“Birds are very sensitive to certain fumes, and this one is essentially living inside a cloud,” the group described. “We’re also concerned about him ingesting the chemical through preening. His condition is weak, and he’s struggling to keep food down.”
It’s uncertain why somebody colored the bird pink, however some hypothesized it became part of a gender expose failed.
If so, it definitely wouldn’t be the very first time. In 2015, numerous pink pigeons were discovered in New Jersey after a couple deliberately dyed them for a gender reveal party.
Required To Liberty Farm Animal Rescue in Cedarville, N.J., the pigeons triggered a stern reaction from that rescue group.
“People actually dyed these pigeons pink and released them for a gender reveal party,” the organization said at the time. “Animals are not props or decorations.”
In this case, it’s still unidentified why somebody colored Flamingo, however the group is doing whatever possible to nurse him back to health. Presently, they are treating him with heat, oxygen and subcutaneous fluids, in addition to unique medication to avoid toxic substances from entering his digestion system.
The rescue group likewise advises the general public simply how severe something like this is.
“PSA: Please never release domestic birds to the wild,” the group tweeted. “Not for weddings, funerals, celebrations, art projects, anything. (We’d hope that ‘don’t dye them’ goes without saying, but … ) They will starve or be preyed on. If you see an all-white pigeon in the wild, or any tame bird standing around looking lost, it needs your help. Please catch the bird and bring it to a pigeon rescue or animal sanctuary near you.”
Despite the fact that the group hasn’t had the ability to get rid of the color from Flamingo, they haven’t quit attempting.
“Bathing is very stressful on a bird, especially one already weak,” the group shared, “so we have to balance intervention with stability.”
If you or somebody you understand has actually seen animal abuse, call your regional animal control company as quickly as possible or dial 9-1-1 if you’re not familiar with regional companies. If both choices are unresponsive, call PETA’s hotline at 757-622-7382.
In The Know is now available on Apple News — follow us here!
The post NYC pigeon found dyed pink is speculated to have been part of gender reveal appeared initially on In The Know.
More from In The Know:
Ever wonder what happens when you mix a pug and an Italian greyhound?
Why are cat owners on TikTok discussing making biscuits?
Taking care of your pets and the planet has never been easier