Parents-to-be have been warned a couple of new gender reveal fad that’s harming birds.
Some have been utilizing pigeons dyed pink or blue to announce their child’s intercourse. But an animal hospital has mentioned the craze might need contributed to the demise of 1 final month.
Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital shared a photograph of an injured pigeon on Facebook, with a spokesperson urging individuals to ‘think before you follow these social media trends’.
They mentioned the pigeon ‘was most likely used for a gender reveal party’, including that the ‘absolutely shocking’ stunt has now change into ‘a horrendous trend’.
‘We are urging you to spread the message about the effects that this can have,’ the spokesperson mentioned.
‘Quite simply, it is an act of cruelty and is no way to celebrate the gender of your baby.’
Exmouth farmers Andrew and Kate Lamont shared a photograph of a pink pigeon they noticed on their property in a neighborhood Facebook group.
The hospital revealed the pigeon ‘sadly didn’t make it’, having gone with out meals or water and been significantly wounded by a cat.
An RSPCA spokesperson mentioned: ‘The majority of us want the best for animals, and to treat them with respect – so intentionally painting a pigeon’s feathers is unacceptable because it might trigger well being issues, impair their skill to fly and make them extra vulnerable to predators.
‘In addition, dye and paints can be toxic to birds and other animals, and they would be likely to try to clean any such substance from their coat or feathers which could result in them swallowing it.
‘From time to time we do hear anecdotally about incidents involving animals being affected in this way – and sadly we fear social media trends could be fuelling this.’
In the US final 12 months, a pigeon named Flamingo that had been dyed pink died after being discovered wandering via Manhattan’s Madison Square Park.
MORE : WhatsApp makes change that customers say is ‘enough to make them delete the app’
MORE : British vacationer loses arm and leg in shock shark attack on Caribbean island
MORE : Famous ‘rat hole’ in Chicago pavement eliminated and ‘preserved’ by metropolis
Get your need-to-know
latest information, feel-good tales, evaluation and extra
This website is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
