Rabbit Advocacy Animal Matters

Vancouver Island woman reunited with pet pigeon

December 3, 2013 CBC News

Today, a Vancouver Island woman got the feathered reunion she's been waiting six weeks for. Sandy Bird lost her pet pigeon, Tweetie, in October, when the bird flew away, as it does, and landed on the wrong truck. The truck drove away and Bird was left without her pigeon.

To Bird's distress, her bird wound up in a wildlife centre. The centre's rules prohibited staff from releasing the pigeon back into Bird's care. She tried to get her pigeon back, but instead it was released into the wild. The centre couldn't tell Bird where or when Tweetie was being released. (Wild Arc) This morning, Tweetie was spotted in a mall parking lot.

Bird said she looked for hours since the break of dawn for the bird in shopping centres and parks throughout Nanaimo.

Staff at a Chemainus office were keeping an eye out for the bird. Office worker Anita Morrill saw Tweetie through the window. "He jumped down as soon as I saw him," she said. Staff called Sandy and told her to come collect her pet pigeon.

Bird said the pigeon is like a son to her. "I am the happiest woman in the world. If I won the lotto I couldn't be happier," she said. Bird said she would like to thank the viewers and listeners of CHEK TV and CBC radio. "They're the reason and you're the reason he's back," said Bird.

Comment: There was considerable outrage over this bureaucratic nightmare. Typical of authority running amok. We contacted the BC SPCA’s Wild Arc, the Ministry of FLNRO, and media outlets, as did thousands of other BC residents.

Note: Wildlife rehabilitators do not receive any financial compensation from the government.