Pigeons are the least of our worries

Personally, I am ashamed of my own fellow species for treating our city streets like dumps, I am disgusted when I look at the enormous amounts of fly-tipping and the cost involved in clearing it up, I shudder when I look at land-fill sites and see the huge quantity of rubbish we humans generate, and I am appalled at the debris and plastic deposited in our oceans which threatens fish and all marine life. This was highlighted recently in David Attenborough’s new programme, Blue Planet, which showed shocking camera footage of creatures killed and injured by the dreadful amount of pollution in our seas.

Eight million tons of plastic is dumped by humans into the sea every year and one million sea birds a year die from eating plastic waste and yet people like Gary Crosby astonishingly consider pigeons are a pest.

Regarding his horticultural efforts, which he says are being damaged by pigeons, there are many other culprits that gardeners have to contend with which cause far more damage, such as slugs that can quickly demolish plants and vegetables so it seems unfair just to target pigeons. Whether of racing, messenger or feral variety they happen to be very intelligent birds and, unlike Mr Crosby, I do not wish harm to any living creature.

He also makes reference to the letter from M Thompson, (Star, November 13), and while not wishing to sound uncaring I’m afraid I almost laughed when I read the correspondent’s account of how on returning from a shopping trip 40 years ago his wife got pigeon droppings in her hair.

When he referred to an ‘unfortunate incident’ I initially assumed it was something very serious like a mugging or being the victim of a ‘hit and run’ accident, but if the worst thing I could recall from all that time ago were some pigeon droppings landing in my hair I would consider I’d not fared too badly.

I do not recall referring to pigeons as ‘cute’ as M Thompson says I did as it is not a word I am accustomed to using when describing anything.

I would be more inclined to say they are endearing little creatures with beautiful plumage.

Perhaps all the people who loathe pigeons need to get a life and wake up to the fact that in this dangerous world pigeons are the least of our worries and we really need to clean up our own act before criticising our feathered friends.

Susan Richardson

Westminster Crescent, Lodge Moor, Sheffield, S10