Emaciated, weak and with dirty gunk on their feathers: this is what the five city pigeons look like that were brought from the Oosterdreef in Nieuw-Vennep to the Haarlem Bird Hospital by animal ambulance in the past two days. It is unclear what the ‘dirty sandy material’ on their feathers is.
One thing is certain: the dirt is bad for the birds. “If the feathers stick together, it is difficult for them to fly and keep themselves warm,” says Wiebe Boomsma. He is the manager of the Bird Hospital in Haarlem, where the city pigeons are cared for.
Very thin
He suspects that the five city pigeons have not been able to fly for days in search of food. He also thinks they were very cold: “We notice that all five of them are very thin.”
To prevent even more birds from becoming covered in dirt, the volunteers of the Bird Hospital are calling on the residents of Nieuw-Vennep to find out what the gunk is.
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In the meantime, the volunteers from the Bird Hospital are taking care of the city pigeons. They were able to wash the dirty stuff off. “Now they have to regain their weight,” says Wiebe. “And then they train their flight muscles in the aviary.” As soon as the pigeons are completely healthy, they are released again.
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