Animal Welfare United States Project #9380

Palomacy Saves Domestic Pigeons & Doves 2023

by Palomacy Pigeon and Dove Adoptions

Palomacy Saves Domestic Pigeons & Doves 2023

Project Report | Mar 16, 2015
"Fwd: Urgent Pigeon Rescue?"

By Elizabeth Young | Founder, Executive Director

Injured racing pigeon Josie grounded & helpless

It was 5:15 Thursday afternoon and I had just finished up a presentation about pigeons to a youth group at the Marin Humane Society. I checked my email before heading to my next appointment (a care consult for a self-rescuing pigeon named Snezhok) and read this:

"Hi Patricia - thought to reach out to you as you are a close-by bird friend. I'm about to board an airplane out of Oakland airport and came across an injured pigeon in the parking lot. Wildcare in San Rafael will take him but he needs to be picked up and held overnight as they only accept during business hours. Think you might be able to get him tonight? If not I am flying back tomorrow and will look for him. I just thought to reach out in case bc I feel bad for the guy. Please text me if so. :) thank you and hope I'm not coming across as a crazy person."

Patricia, a fellow bird rescuer and the Budgie Coordinator for Mickaboo, had forwarded this to me an hour earlier. My heart sunk at the low probability of being able to mobilize a successful rescue for this bird but I had to try. I sent out some emails and posted to social media in the hopes of finding someone willing to fight rush hour traffic and search an airport parking lot for an injured pigeon.

I went on to my next appointment and afterwards, with no one yet looking for the pigeon, started making phone calls to give it one last try. When I reached Josette at 8:26 PM, she immediately said yes, she'd go. All the information I had to offer was: "It is in daily parking lot across from the post E4, under the monorail track. There is a huge black pickup truck sticking out, he is there...alert, just appears to have injured legs." And the heartbreaking photo.

I didn't hear back from Josette until 10:22. (I was about ready to send out a search party for her.) After more than half an hour of searching, she had against all odds, found the injured pigeon. The bird had dragged herself (using her wings) yards away and was crouched under the curve of a car's tire. My heart soared! Josette had made the impossible happen. She had dropped everything and headed out into the night to try and help an injured bird. And she had found her! I couldn't believe that we had actually pulled it off and been able to save this poor, stranded pigeon.

Josie, as this miracle bird is now named, is a one year old survivor of the cruel "sport" of pigeon racing. At least we are hoping she will survive. She was brought here to the Bay Area, hundreds of miles from her home in Reno, NV, and "tossed" with thousands of other racing pigeons to try and find her way home fast enough to win. (Learn more about pigeon racing.)

Instead she was severly injured, likely from colliding with a high tension wire, and has spinal trauma and impaired motor control, a large open wound exposing most of her keel and breast muscle, a broken leg, is emaciated, septic and shocky. Dr. Sanders of Wildwood Veterinary took her home with him to provide the care she needs through the weekend. We have seen badly injured birds make incredible recoveries. (See Ava's amazing recovery.) We are not going to give up on Josie. She's alert, eating and clearly thankful to be safe and more comfortable. Pigeons are so smart. I can't imagine how miserable she must have felt grounded and helpless in that parking lot with no hope in sight. No matter what happens, I am so grateful to be a part of a community that was able to rescue this fellow being from such a terrible fate and to give her the chance to live.

You are a part of this community. You empower this work. Thank you for your support! Thank you for your compassion!

This Wednesday, March 18th starting at 6 AM PST, online donations made to Palomacy through GlobalGiving will earn an added 30% Bonus Match while funds last. Please donate if you can. Thank you!

Josie- safe, supported, food & water within reach

Josie unable to move but grateful to be helped

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Dec 23, 2014
You Hold Up Half Our Sky!

By Elizabeth Young | Founder, Executive Director

Baby Dylan

Dear GlobalGiving Supporters,

You hold up half our sky. With all that we do to generate support for our work, including the grants we've won, the garage sales we've held and all the rest, it is your donations, made here, that are funding 48% of our work. Thank you!

Your generous supports makes the life and death difference for the birds we serve. Together we rescued 190 birds this year and helped many more. One of the birds we saved is Dylan.

She arrived at the shelter on September 12th and, unbeknownst to the staff, was too young to self-feed. We were contacted on September 16th and she was starving when I picked her up that night- only feathers and bone. When I opened her cage door, Dylan begged me to feed her as if I was her pigeon parent.

Overfull with more than 100 birds in our foster care already, I had not planned on taking this baby in but I couldn't leave her. I rushed her home and started tube-feeding small, watery meals to restart her GI system. She responded ecstatically, now sure that I was a momma bird.

Dylan's ordeal had an impact. She was an extra needy, clingy youngster. Even after she learned to self-feed, she was constantly begging and acted hungry all the time. I kept her close and spoiled her with attention. Now four months old, she's already an accomplished pigeon diplomat. (See her full story and lots of photos here.)

And, while I'm stretched with 15 foster pigeons and 11 pets (my pigeons, a parrot, a dove and my dog), I'm not going to be able to part with Dylan. I'm going to adopt her. Dylan is home.

Thank you for helping us to do this work we do. Thank you for saving Dylan and all the others. She is, as they all are, a very special soul.

And, if you can, please give again. We need your support. We have just taken on two more medical cases (Bell & Aries) and we have a big new year ahead of us. We've changed our name- we're now Palomacy Pigeon & Dove Adoptions- but our mission is the same.

With heartfelt gratitude, Thank You.

Dylan hard at work

Thank you for rescuing Dylan

Happy Dylan

Palomacy is pigeon diplomacy

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Oct 13, 2014
Remember Aurora?

By Elizabeth Young | Founder, Executive Director

Aurora thanks you for saving her!

Thank you for being a MickaCoo supporter! We are honored and inspired by your generosity.

Thanks to you, Aurora, the young racing pigeon who survived catastrophic injury and neglect, has been healed. She is safe and loved and grateful to be alive! She is happy to have both her feet facing in the same direction and proud to be able to stand tall and walk! (Aurora's update)

Thanks to you, Blossom, a King pigeon bred to be squab, found sick and stray- struggling to survive the streets of San Francisco, is alive and well. She overcame a life-threatening strangulated hernia and is now adopted! She's married to a feisty pigeon named Mr. Stinker and is cherished by her person and him both. (Awesome Blossom)

Thanks to you, when baby pigeon Dylan, too weak and young to self-feed was facing death at the shelter, we were able to step in and save his life, winning his ardent devotion and loyalty. (Dylan's story)

Your donations mean we are here to help these gentle, sensitive birds whose lives hang in the balance. Every day we help guide Good Samaritans who've found a grounded bird; every week we're called to take on the foster and vet care for injured or ill shelter birds that will otherwise be killed. We coach potential adopters about the plight and potential of homeless pigeons and doves and we empower them to create safe aviaries that provide meaningful quality of life for the birds that others have abandoned. We advocate at every opportunity and we are seeing progress. MickaCoo is creating compassion where there used to be indifference, or worse.

We couldn't fill this gap without your help and we are very grateful to you!

Thank you for supporting MickaCoo Pigeon & Dove Rescue.

P.S. Tomorrow morning, Wednesday 10/15, starting at 6 AM PST, is the last GlobalGiving Bonus Match Day of the year. If you are able to make another donation, your gift will earn a much needed extra +30% for the birds. (Please donate early. The bonus match money goes fast.) Thank you!

Awesome Blossom loves life

Baby Dylan was saved from starvation

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