The date was December 7th, 2013.
The place was the Philadelphia Gun Club (PGC), Bensalem Township, Bucks County, PA
The crime- 18 pigeons were rescued from a “living hell” from the Delaware River as described by a New Jersey pigeon rehabilitator.after the birds were shot at the recent shoot
This is nothing new with the PGC to find pigeons who are dehydrated and emaciated or starving. According to Gretchen Rell who has been caring for injured pigeons for 24 years, some are only a few weeks old.
SHARK (Showing Animals Respect and Kindness) investigator, Stuart Chaifetz, says what pigeon shoots boil down to is money and connections. Chaifetz continues, “This is some of the worst cruelty in the country. Anyone claiming that this doesn’t violate PA Humane Law 5511 is either illterate or corrupt, and in the case of the Bucks County District Attorney, the answer is corruption. It’s just that simple.”
Humane Law 5511:
(c) Cruelty to animals.–
(1) A person commits an offense if he wantonly or cruelly illtreats, overloads, beats, otherwise abuses any animal, or neglects any animal as to which he has a duty of care, whether belonging to himself or otherwise, or abandons any animal, or deprives any animal of necessary sustenance, drink, shelter or veterinary care, or access to clean and sanitary shelter which will protect the animal against inclement weather and preserve the animal’s body heat and keep it dry.
Pigeon shoots are clearly against the law but it is never enforced.
According to (Illinois-based) SHARK president Steve Hindi, the corruption aspect of pigeon shoots is evident by the behavior of township police, administrators, and even local media. “The township admittedly allows the killers to cover their license plates to avoid identification. Everyone is afraid to expose these animal abusers, or to even talk about the issue. The local media won’t show the graphic images of pigeon shoots, but then pretends that this isn’t a cruelty issue. Every time we come here, we feel like we have left the United States of America.”
Even the two local animal protection groups- the Woman’s Humane Society and the Bucks County SPCA are doing very little to address this cruelty.
The $64,000 question is why? Why would two groups that are to protect animals not doing anything to stop the cruelty of pigeon shoots in PA?
According to PA’s Humane Law 5511, pigeon shoots are against the law and all involved parties from the shooters, the police, the DA, and even the local media refuse to do the right thing. Not only aren’t they stopping these shoots, they are helping to cover up the cruelty.
It is time for the law to be upheld and charge those who commit these crimes with animal cruelty.
Because those in charge don’t give a damn about animal cruelty!
These shoots are illegal and no one will uphold the law. They should all be charged with obstruction of doing their jobs. This is animal cruelty and they are as guilty as those shooting the birds. Sickening.
Pennsylvania is such a redneck state and so backwards. They need to start living in the 21st century. I’m ashamed to live here. What they do to animals is beyond inhumane. Get rid of these people.
Because they can! The district attorney isn’t going to do anything about it. It’s still legal in PA!
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