yoshy Posted September 19, 2002 Share Posted September 19, 2002 http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/19/nyregion...ae0351250be7b55 -- A Tribute Gone Awry, on the Wings of Pigeons > > September 19, 2002 > By RICHARD LEZIN JONES > > > > > > > JERSEY CITY, Sept. 18 - It was meant to be a dignified > tribute on Sept. 11: a flock of doves soaring majestically > past Lower Manhattan's altered skyline. There was only one > problem. Those weren't doves. They were pigeons. And many > of them couldn't fly. > > During the memorial service here last week, many of the > birds plunged into the Hudson River, smacked into > plate-glass windows on office buildings and careered into > the crowd. One perched atop the hard hat of a construction > worker whose company had helped clear ground zero. > > Since the ceremony, animal rights advocates and others have > been trying to rescue the birds and roast the organizers. > > For their part, organizers said they had tried to hire a > company to conduct a professional bird release, in which > trained doves or homing pigeons would soar high in the sky > and then return to their owner's roost. But the pros were > already booked for 9/11 this year. So the organizers turned > instead to a Newark poultry market and bought 80 squabs, > not knowing that the weak-winged birds would have trouble > flying. > > Despite the problem at the memorial, which was first > reported today in The Jersey Journal, one organizer said > today that most of the birds are better off now than they > would have been had they remained at the poultry market. > > "Without a doubt it beats what could have happened to > them," said Guy Catrillo, a chief organizer of Jersey > City's 9/11 Memorial Committee. > > "They were squab; they were soup birds. I like the idea > that I helped these squab get another chance." > > Animal advocates, however, said that second chance may have > come at too great a cost. > > "I don't know how anyone could be so short-sighted, > especially for 9/11," said Ellen Goldberg, a teacher at the > Raptor Trust, a nonprofit bird hospital in Millington, > N.J., that is treating two birds that were released during > the ceremony. > > "Every year," she said, "we have to deal with 3,000 birds, > including 300 pigeons. We get sick birds, injured birds, > birds that have been shot. We thought we'd seen it all. > We've never seen this before." > > It all began, Mr. Catrillo said, when he started calling > the handful of New Jersey companies that offer professional > bird releases. > > "They called me looking for birds for their ceremony," said > Lisette Hall, owner of Doves for Love, a company in > Somerset, N.J. "They wanted our doves. We were all booked, > but they were desperate for birds. They said, `Well, please > call us if you have any last-minute availability."' > > Ms. Hall, who had already committed to two other memorial > services, did not. > > So, Mr. Catrillo said, the Jersey City organizers went to > the poultry shop. "I don't remember the name," Mr. Catrillo > said. "I know it was Portuguese." They took delivery of 80 > birds on Sept. 10, just hours before the 8 a.m. memorial > service at Exchange Place on the waterfront. > > "We were going to release the pigeons during the unveiling > of the 9/11 memorial," he said. "The pigeons were supposed > to fly." > > Instead, the birds, which Ms. Goldberg said might never > before in their young lives have spent significant time > outside their cages, turned the ceremony into a blur of > feathers and confusion. > > "When they let the birds out, they seemed not to know how > to fly," recalled Susan Ryan, 39, who attended the ceremony > with a co-worker, Nuria Almeida. "They flew into buildings. > One flew right into the water." > > Ms. Almeida, 30, said the program continued, awkwardly, > despite the birds. "A lot of people were upset because they > didn't want them sitting on their heads, and they were > swatting them away," she said. > > The two co-workers said they remembered one bird that > bobbed across the stage. Mr. Catrillo took a snapshot of > another perched on the hard hat of an iron worker. The body > of another was later fished out of the Hudson. > > The women were so struck by the pigeons' plight that they > returned to the site of the memorial service after work > that day and gently placed two of the birds in a shoe box, > then took them to the Raptor Trust. > > Ms. Goldberg said that the birds appeared undernourished > and that hospital workers were trying to fatten them up. > The fate of the others is unknown, although Mr. Catrillo > said he had seen several. > > "I saw one today who lives by a hot-dog cart," he said. "I > tried to catch him. But he flew away. Pigeons are natural > survivors." > > And despite what he called "snide comments" about the > release, Mr. Catrillo said he already had plans for next > year's memorial service. > > "I'm going to release monarch butterflies," he said. "But > I'm sure there's some group somewhere who will say that > that's the wrong thing to do, too." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomadawhat Posted September 19, 2002 Share Posted September 19, 2002 oh the poor cute little pidgeons..... they got them from a fucking poultry shop, they were going to get killed....fucking animal activist are weird sometimes.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
•nakone• Posted September 19, 2002 Share Posted September 19, 2002 thats JC for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brownbread? Posted September 20, 2002 Share Posted September 20, 2002 Originally posted by yoshy http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/19/nyregion...ae0351250be7b55 -- So the organizers turned > instead to a Newark poultry market and bought 80 squabs thats why you dont buy shit from newark. back in the day i bought a sega cd from some shady store up there. Me thinking i just got a nice deal, i come home, open the box and the whole thing was broken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deznatori Posted September 20, 2002 Share Posted September 20, 2002 The thing that bothers me the most is the fact that they were going to use Pigeons for meat. Rats with wings for food. I think I am about to puke. One of the sickest things I have heard in a long time. I think that is worse than the Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich. -For those who don't know Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich= taking a dump in a girl's box when she is on the rag and then eating her out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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