I OFTEN feed the pigeons near Warrington Market and I was surprised on Tuesday when somebody approached me and told me not to because they are vermin.

I asked if he was telling me that all the pigeon fanciers who race their pigeons for sport and look after them very well, spending thousands and thousands of pounds a year on feed, are looking after vermin.

There is nothing wrong with pigeons. Have a look at them in Warrington town centre.

There are some lovely birds among them. Some of them have got rings attached to them, which means they do belong to somebody.

I had the pleasure to go to Manchester with a friend of mine and while we were in Piccadilly, it was lovely to see all the birds being fed by the public and how friendly they were. Some were even feeding out of people's hands!

There may be some stragglers who have lost their way and no one cares for them. I would like to point out that at the same place in Manchester you will see human beings sleeping in doorways and cardboard boxes.

Would you call these people vermin? They have only lost their way and have nowhere to go, like pigeons.

If you think back, pigeons saved many lives in the two World Wars by carrying messages. Is this how we treat these birds?

Maybe they do leave droppings here and there but don't other birds? They don't get called vermin.

All I can say is that there is no one to look after these strays. Perhaps all the pigeon fanciers and animal lovers should feed them when they see them.

How you can call them vermin I don't know.

I know there are a few thousand people who like the birds. Do they think they should be destroyed? I can't remember anybody dying or becoming ill with a disease caught from a pigeon.

MR G. MAGUIRE

Penketh Avenue

Bewsey

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