Some Pictou, N.S. residents are worried their town is putting a royal visit ahead of the lives of pigeons after officials boarded up an abandoned building with the birds still inside.
Pictou officials say they boarded up the building鈥檚 broken windows last Friday after receiving complaints about falling glass, but some locals think the town is putting its image above the lives of animals. With Prince Charles and Camilla visiting Pictou on Monday, the town has already started touching things up ahead of their arrival.
鈥淚 believe they did it for the royal visit,鈥� Pictou resident Rachelle Gaudet told 麻豆传媒. 鈥淏ecause, all of a sudden, we have royals coming, they鈥檙e boarding up buildings, they鈥檙e fixing sidewalks, they鈥檙e fixing roads.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e heard them called rats with wings. It doesn鈥檛 matter 鈥� they don鈥檛 deserve this treatment,鈥� says Charlene Steeves.
Steeves says the birds have been nesting in the building for years, but now, she鈥檚 haunted by the sounds of them trying to get out.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 all you could hear, was the 鈥榯hump, thump, thump鈥� of the constant bodies hitting the window,鈥� she says.
Many pigeons can be seen lined up behind some of the building鈥檚 unbroken, uncovered windows. Not all of the windows are boarded up 鈥� just the ones with openings, meaning the birds have no way to get out.
Deputy Mayor Cam Beaton says the building was boarded up as a safety precaution.
鈥淲e received a complaint last week from two residents about falling glass, and when it became a danger to our citizens, the town, under the Municipal Government Act, can go onto the property and secure it,鈥� Beaton told 麻豆传媒.
Beaton says boarding up the building has nothing to do with the royal visit.
鈥淭his is totally unrelated,鈥� he says. 鈥淭his is a hazard to our residents and we took action to protect our residents from falling glass.鈥�
The Nova Scotia SPCA has received several calls about the birds but can鈥檛 take action because it only investigates incidents involving companion pets. However, a representative from the organization did say they support residents鈥� efforts to free the pigeons.
The town cut small square holes in the boarded-up windows in response to the outcry, but residents say the hand-sized openings aren鈥檛 enough.
Beaton says there are no further plans to release the pigeons at this point.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Alyse Hand
