Report: 300 Pigeons Abducted from Washington Square Park for ‘Live Shoots’
This image has been archived or removed.
Photo: Washington Square Park Blog
If you’ve noticed a lack of pigeons in and around Washington Square Park, you’re eyes haven’t deceived you. This past Tuesday, a mass pigeon abduction reportedly took place, and in broad daylight (approximately 3pm). This kind of thing has happened on and off over the last ten years; the end game is usually that they’re sold in Pennsylvania for live shooting events. Apparently, each pigeon is worth $2 to $3, but are sold by the shooting galleries for upwards of $50.
While many would say “good riddance,” Tina Trachtenberg, the artist and pigeon advocate who creates felt replicas of the birds and displays them throughout city parks, quickly created a memorial in Washington Square Park for her missing feral friends.
She also took her advocacy to Facebook regarding the unauthorized nabbing:
I received horrific news today. These innocent, trusting, loving, pigeons, approximately 300 of them were netted on Tuesday in Washington Square Park. The person who did this will transport them to Pennsylvania where they will have their wings clipped and be put into a mechanism that will shoot them in the air and men will shoot them for sport. These were my friends that I loved dearly. Please come to Washington Square park tomorrow for a memorial and to give love to me and all of the other people who loved them. Our hearts are crushed.
Word on the street is several people saw the bird-napping go down, but everyone chose to ignore the “if you see something, say something” mantra. The NYPD is currently investigating.
For a more in depth explanation about what happened, visit Washington Square Park Blog.
Recent Stories
‘Caribea’ Grill Readies Space Left Vacant by Domino’s on Allen Street
Ever since Domino’s ditched its decades-old Allen Street location three years ago, the commercial space has been a vacancy consistently peddled on the market. Now, a new concept is a-knockin. Caribea is as it sounds – a fast casual pan-Caribbean grill. The restaurant at 203 Allen will seat fourteen tables and a stand-up bar, for […]
The Projects Jockeying for the $20M Chinatown Revitalization Funds
Several months ago, Governor Hochul announced a $20 million grant in the form of the Downtown Revitalization initiative (DRI). Some forty sites around Chinatown were identified during the DRI process, which is led by a Local Planning Committee of community representatives and supported by State agency staff and a consultant team. That list was ultimately […]
Displaced Chinatown Business Returns Months After Devastating Fire
Four months after a deadly fire knocked out 78 Mulberry Street, one of its businesses returned to the scene. Ewa Trading Company reopened in its former Chinatown home earlier this week. The store had spent some of the interim displacement period selling from a shuttered Vietnamese restaurant a few paces north. The two-alarm fire broke […]
EDC Sues Essex Restaurant for Back Rent over Former Essex Market Lease
Three years removed from its relocation across Rivington Street, the city filed suit against the Essex restaurant for alleged unpaid rent. The Economic Development Corporation (EDC) sued Essex for nearly $60,000 in unpaid back rent on the former Essex Market building it previously occupied, according to the lawsuit filed Monday. The city entity claims that […]
Exile on Orchard Street: Tenement Museum Recreates Exhibits During Renovations
The Tenement Museum is amidst a preservation project at 97 Orchard Street, but will continue its programming with replicas not too far away. The 1863-era tenement this past Sunday embarked on “vital” restoration work to preserve its walls, floors, roof, as well as the installation of a new HVAC system that will provide improved climate […]
