People feel free to hate pigeons. How people treat pigeons is a strong indicator on how they’ll treat the homeless. Most of the anti-homeless devices and ordinances seem to mirror the ones for pigeons. Pigeons, in the U.S. are immigrants. They are rock doves, which are native to Europe and to the countries surrounding the Mediterranean. As a non-native species, they are not protected and considered nuisance animals. People continually make false claims about pigeons, once again, echoing the claims about homeless humans. There are laws in various cities that forbid feeding either, or both. The similarity in how society views and treats both groups disturbs me. They claim pigeons defecate everywhere and that it’s unpleasant and unsanitary. They also claim homeless humans defecate everywhere and that it’s unpleasant and unsanitary. Both are considered useless and a burden on society. Neither are allowed to rest, eat or drink without being shooed away. Society looks down upon them as lesser beings, undeserving of life.

Yesterday I chased a pigeon around my yard with a bath towel. The pigeons come to my yard for water and shade. They scour the ground under the hanging feeders for every little bit of dropped seed. Now and again, a pigeon will land in search of water and not be able to return the sky. Sometimes it’s because they’re injured, other times it’s because they’re tired and sick.

After even just a few years of being expected to respond, within my abilities and training, to injured humans when I came across them, I am unwilling to let injuries, illness, hunger, or need, stand without at least an attempt at intervention. That can indeed find me chasing a pigeon around my yard with, or without, a bath towel in hand. This time it’s a little gray pigeon that can’t fly, it’s flight feathers were destroyed. The feather damage could be due to vitamin deficiencies, being trapped in a small enclosed space, or mites. I eventually captured it. The poor little rock dove is now in a pet tent inside my house with water, food, and vitamins. Tomorrow the mite/lice spray arrives. Little Gray Pidge will have to stay until new feathers grow to replace the damaged ones. I won’t pull the damaged ones because I’m not that comfortable about my skills in stopping bleeding in a pigeon. They go into shock easily and there’s not a lot of blood in such a tiny body. Time to be patient. My self-rescued pigeon, Biscuit, shown above, is very curious but she’s not allowed to visit until the injured bird is healthy and stable. Self-rescue is surprisingly common in pigeons. They are a domesticated animal so they’re referred to as feral, rather than wild.

Biscuit, being all white, was probably a release bird from a funeral or a wedding. When I met her, she was soaking wet, cold and without a flock. She also was extremely tired. So much so that when she tried to fly away she ran into the fence instead. I put out some food for her under the patio roof where it was dry. She wasn’t afraid of me but was still cautious. As it began to get dark, and all the other birds had left to go to their roosts, I left open the back door. Much to my surprise, Biscuit walked in, flew up to perch on the lid of my tool box, tucked her beak in to her chest fluff, and went to sleep. I then had to figure what I was going to do when she woke up.

Yes. I do the equivalent for homeless people I meet. Mind you since I shouldn’t corral humans like birds and medicate them, it usually means food and whatever else I can manage. Today the injured pigeon in my house is needing shelter and food so it can continue its life. There’s really not much else that’s needed from me, time will take care of what’s wrong. It will grow new feathers and be free to fly again if given the chance for healing. People operate the same way. Homeless people need a home, a safe space where they can rest and heal their injuries. Some injuries need intervention, some just need time and rest. If we won’t give them safety and medicine, we know that they won’t get better. An overnight shelter with no guaranteed tomorrows is not what’s needed. People can’t heal without safety and stability. We can supply stability but the scale that this has been allowed to reach needs many more ways to help than what we’re doing as a society. Fixing a problem looks very different when everyone is looking for real solutions.

Did you know that they make birth control food for pigeons? It’s a real solution that’s not cruel.