I received this email on 10/4/12:

Good morning. I got your email address from Jane and am contacting you because I rescued what I think may be a King Pigeon. I was wondering if you had room to take in one more bird? I do not have the knowledge or the facilities to nurse it back to health but when I saw it standing in the middle of the street and realized it couldn’t fly, I knew I had to try to save it. If you could assist me with this matter, that would be wonderful and if not, could you direct me to the most appropriate resource? Thank you and have a wonderful day, James

I didn’t have room but the bird was injured and so I went to check on him. Snow, as his rescuer James named him, had been found at 10 PM standing in the street in the SF Tenderloin. Before James could get to him, he had been clipped by a passing car but escaped with only broken blood feathers. James would have loved to foster Snow in his small apartment but his highly active and prey-driven dog was frantic to get to the bird. Unable to think of another option, I brought Snow home with me.

At first I thought Snow was a hen but now I’m pretty sure he’s a henry (cock). We think that he had been kept as someone’s pet and got lost or was “set free” (death sentence). He definitely is people-savvy, so much so that I put pants on him and take him to adoption fairs and outreach events as a Pigeon Ambassador.

Snow is a great bird. He’s healthy and beautiful and, while familiar with people, he also does great in an aviary with other pigeons. He’s neither bullied nor a bully. For now he (?) is still single. He’s fostered with MickaCoo in SF but he needs a forever home.

I’m so grateful to people like James who, rather than just walk on by, get involved when somebody needs help. I know that Snow is happy to be safe.

Click here to learn more about king pigeons and how they end up needing rescue.

Never buy and release birds!