DA to withdraw cruelty charges in live pigeon shoots
The Philadelphia Gun Club took appropriate measures to euthanize wounded birds, District Attorney David Heckler said.
DA to withdraw cruelty charges in live pigeon shoots
Animal cruelty charges filed against the Philadelphia Gun Club for two live pigeon shoots in March will be withdrawn Wednesday, following a review by the Bucks County District Attorney’s office.
The Bensalem club was issued five citations for allegedly failing to euthanize five pigeons that were wounded during the shoots along the Delaware River. The birds were retrieved from the river and shore and saved by an animal rights group.
The club has “acknowledged and accepted” its responsibility to humanely kill birds that have survived the pigeon shoot, District Attorney David Heckler said Monday in a written statement. It erected a barrier to prevent birds from escaping from its shooting range and has employees to patrol the river for wounded birds, he said.
“These steps represent a good faith effort on the part of the gun club to comply with the obligations imposed by Pennsylvania law,” Heckler said.
The citations were filed with District Justice Leonard Brown, and the district attorney’s office was planning to withdraw them Wednesday, a clerk said.
Humane Society police officer Johnna Seeton, who filed the citations, said she was “very disappointed” they were being dismissed.
“I don’t believe you can have a pigeon shoot without cruelty occurring,” she said.
Pigeon shooting in Pennsylvania “is unquestionably legal,” Heckler said, citing an 1891 ruling by the state Supreme Court. Efforts in the legislature to ban the shoots have failed for decades.
Too bad about what your belief is. Real police officers are bound not only by laws, but court decisions that arise from cases regarding those laws. Glad you learned a lot in your 8 days of 'police training'.— melbill6294- Heckler, if someone shoots you, then make sure you drop all charges!!— elfman
- Gun control: essential part of the process involving the ability to successfully hit what you are aiming at.— manyhats
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pigeons, like lobsters cannot feel pain. and they're vermin, the rats of the skies. eradicate them, canadian geese and pass the foie gras— barry m goldwater- Sir, put down that super-size sugary drink and step away from the pigeon unless you plan on killing it nicely and promptly.— Tkat
- I am pro-Second Amendment, and I think that nobody who eats meat can criticize somebody who hunts for food. Having said this, I would call a pigeon shoot, which is essentially a canned hunt in which the animals being killed are not eaten, slob hunting pure and simple.— Bill_Levinson_78
- Um...idiots....this is not hunting. This is fat morons shooting at birds that are essentially shot out of a box via a spring mechanism. Lazy idiots participate in pigeon shoots, not actual hunters. If you hunt, you are expected to track your prey and kill it, then use what you have killed to feed your family. Calling these people hunters is like calling a video gamer a police officer.— scargosun
- @scargosun: so bear hunters feed bear meat to their families?— barry m goldwater
- I'm a novice gourmet cook. Pigeons are actually good eating and are sold as food in Lancaster County. This was actually highlighted in one of the "Bizzare Foods" episode at a gourmet restaurant in France. They taste very similar to quail. Wish more people would view them as a renewable food source.— Niko
- @barry m goldwater - Bear meat actually very good, so feeding it to families would work!!!
— UGHROLF - These pigeon shoots are not for food. This is not hunting. This is a slaughter, plain and simple. How these people don't feel like complete losers is beyond me.— lulu
- Filthy, dirty, disgusting birds.— Disco Dave
