NILES, Ill. (CBS) — Videos of a pigeon capture in the northern suburb of Niles have animal rights activists crying foul.
Advocates say an out-of-state company scooped up dozens of birds. They worry about how the pigeon kidnapping happened and what happens next.
“We’ve never experienced anything like this before,” said Jacqueline Tsevis of Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue. “No one has ever confronted us about this.”
That’s Jacqueline Tsevis responding to a video sent to her group, Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue, showing dozens of pigeons trapped in a net at a Niles shopping center. The video then showed someone removing the birds from the trap and collecting them into open containers.
“A removal team came in and used nets that shoot out like cannons, so they are very big,” Tsevis said. “They’re shooting at it, and they could cover a whole herd like this, hundreds at a time.”
One of the big questions is why all this is happening.
CBS News Chicago contacted the owners of the Golf Glen Mart shopping center, at Golf and Dee roads in the northwestmost corner of the Nile. The owners of Golf Glen Mart said they were “shocked” by the alleged actions of a Texas company, “CatchEm All Pigeons.”
Glazer Properties said in a statement that they did not contract the company or request permission to capture the pigeons.
“As an established commercial real estate owner and operator for more than three decades, our organization takes exceptional pride in operating our properties in an environmentally conscious and responsible manner,” Glazer Properties wrote. “These alleged actions do not align with our values and standards. We will treat anyone who behaves in this way as an offender and will continue to investigate the matter.”
Wildlife officials said one of their volunteers found the company trapping pigeons at a second location in Niles and started receiving calls about them operating in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood.
Niles police said they “spoke with a company representative, as well as the Animal Control Officer.” But police said pigeons are “not a protected or regulated species,” so “this is not a criminal investigation.”
“We believe they were deprived of food and water for more than 24 hours, which is illegal,” said Jodie Wiederkehr, executive director of the Chicago Alliance for Animals. “Unfortunately, they have no protection, but Illinois law states that they must be provided with food and water.”
Animal activists say they are now concerned about what is happening next to the pigeons.
CBS News Chicago called and left messages with CatchEm All Pigeons but had not heard back by Friday evening.
