Animal Watch
Pigeon owner’s anger as racing birds killed
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| BIRDS DESTROYED: Peter Winter, right, with his son, Andrew, and one of their surviving racing pigeons |
A MAN who has raced pigeons
for more than half a century has
been left heartbroken after nearly
50 of his birds were slaughtered
following a dispute about
the state of his allotment.
Peter Winter, of Reid Terrace,
Guisborough, east Cleveland,
was horrified to discover the
town council had authorised pest
controllers to kill his birds before
he had the chance to move them
to another loft.
But Guisborough Town Council
defended its actions, saying
the problems on the allotment
had been running for several
years and it had acted appropriately
after taking legal advice.
Mr Winter accepts a court had
ordered him to clear the two allotments
he ran with his son, Andrew,
on Harrisons Field, by the
end of last month.
But on Saturday, March 1, he
learnt that his pigeons had been
killed and the lofts were being
taken down.
"I think it is absolutely disgusting
that this can be done to
my pigeons," he said.
"I know we had been told to get
off the allotment, but we didn't
expect them to just kill our birds.
"We were almost ready to move
them to a different loft, but we
didn't even get the chance.
"It still hasn't really sunk in
that these birds have gone."
Mr Winter added: "Bird racing
has been in our family for years
and some of these birds could be
traced back to the Fifties and we
will never be able to revive that
blood line - it is absolutely appalling."
Mr Winter said the problems
started with the allotment when
his son had a row with a supervisor
from the Guisborough Allotment
Association.
Town council clerk Pam Batts
said: "We have had numerous
problems with this tenant and he
has had numerous letters warning
him about the condition of
the allotment.
"He hasn't complied with any
of the requests.
"We took the case to court and
it ruled in our favour. Mr Winter
was given six weeks to clear his
livestock and possessions off the
allotment.
"When our allotment supervisor
went to the allotment on
March 1 he found the birds in a
dreadful state.
"He sought legal advice and
brought in a registered pest control
officer to kill the birds in a
humane way."
8:39am Friday 14th March 2008
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