Witness to a pigeon shoot

by **Mahina** Fri Oct 12, 2012 11:54 am

News Articles on Horrific Pigeon Shoot

DEAR FRIENDS,

You will recall that on September 30th, SHARK documented a horrendous pigeon shoot at the Wing Pointe canned hunting club. Amy Worden, reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, was with us at that shoot. She wrote a blog on her experience and a news story on the issue. Please read both and leave comments.

From the news article:

"The images are stark: men and teenagers drop-kicking wounded pigeons like footballs, stomping on them, slamming them against their heels until they explode.

The Illinois-based group SHark (Showing Animals Respect and Kindness) says the images from a Berks County pigeon shoot last month are evidence that the shoots - the topic of a decades-long debate in the Capitol - violate state animal cruelty laws and that legislators and law enforcement should stop them."

From Warden's blog, Philly Dawg:

"The shooting went on for four hours. A couple on horseback rode by and asked what was going on. "That's disgusting and nauseating," said Michelle Gross, of Northampton, before galloping off. A hiker said he thought they were shooting clay pigeons and registered his disapproval when he found out they were real birds.

At the end, when all the cages of birds were emptied, the men and teenagers formed a line to drive out the wounded birds. Dozens of injured pigeons clustered together in a small opening in the field. The men threw rocks to force them from the tall grass. Some grabbed birds off the ground and punted them like footballs. Others threw birds unable to fly into the air and shot them at a few feet, as they exploded in a mass of feathers."

The reporter contacted Berks County District Attorney John Adams, who has been a shill for the pigeon shooters. Adams collected campaign donations from both the PA Flyers (the pigeon shooters PAC) and the NRA, so he's been bought and had returned the favor by crushing all attempts to have charges filed. This time, however, Adams just got caught in his own mess. From the news story:

"Adams said he would enforce an order by Berks County Common Pleas Judge Scott Lash regarding what constitutes the humane killing of wounded birds.

In his 2002 order involving a challenge to another pigeon shoot, Lash wrote that "at no time shall anyone kick, swing, stomp or otherwise abuse any bird."

Chaifetz [SHARK Investigator] said those are the actions he and others documented at Wing Pointe on Sept. 30."

Let's see Adams try to back-flip his way out of this. Either he will follow the law and charge Wing Pointe for cruelty, or he'll get on his knees before the NRA and make himself look like a fool and a hypocrite by saying he really didn't mean what he said.

Please write to District Attorney John Adams and demand that he allow cruelty charges to be filed for the absolute horror that was committed at Wing Pointe.

da@countyofberks.com

You can view the clips we released to the media in the following video.
We will be releasing an extended version of what happened at the pigeon shoot in the next day.

- The rest of this newsletter has been eradicated because it reveals the first 10 shooters of the pigeon shoot, and no matter how much we dislike them, I would like to keep their identities a secret. -

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