Pigeons – Dirty Birds or Wartime Heroes?
There is a special bond between people and their pets, which we ofttimes think of as dogs, cats, even larger animals such as horses. These are the animals featured in compelling disaster rescue stories. One of the lesser known rescue operations focuses on pigeons and doves. These gentle birds have been domesticated by man for centuries, even serving and earning medals during times of war.
So join us as we delve into the unknown world of pigeon and dove rescue and come to love these generally misunderstood and disliked birds.
Helpful Links
Palomacy: https://www.pigeonrescue.org/
US network of organizations: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?hl=en&hl=en&mid=1Ey_4jZ_6WBZh2RiwTNZtG8d0eyQ&ll=34.93694479084893%2C-91.92693867726211&z=4
Cher Ami, WWI bird hero: https://www.si.edu/object/nmah_425415
Pigeons in war: http://www.americainwwii.com/articles/pigeons-of-war/
South Africa pigeon pants vendor: https://www.bevsbirdboutique.com/
Other pigeon pants vendors: https://www.pigeonrescue.org/faqs-2/where-can-i-get-pigeon-pants/
Producer
Michael Cockrell’s public service career has included law enforcement, water conservation enforcement, and emergency management. After 35-years at San Joaquin County’s Office of Emergency Services (OES), he retired as Director in December 2017. His OES experience between 1982-2017 included a wide range of emergencies and disasters such as floods, earthquake recovery, mass-casualty incidents, train derailments, hazardous materials releases, droughts, extreme heat and cold events. His education includes Associate and Bachelor degrees in Social Science, concentrating in Administration of Justice, and, a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. He has also completed many continued-education courses on administration and emergency management.
Camera/Editor
Cyndy Green has been intrigued by news since she got a toy printing press as a six year old. She switched to visual story telling at the age of 12 with her first still camera and moved to broadcasting after an internship in 1974. After 28 years in broadcast news and another 8 teaching broadcasting, she still can’t live without a camera in hand and an editing computer nearby, so in retirement she continues creating visual stories.