Pigeons: The Flying Enemy
The horrible collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis this August highlights the aging highway infrastructure in our motoring society. One can only hope that it will underscore the need to pay closer attention to the roads and bridges that are in urgent need of repair all over the United States. One thing is certain, though. It has alerted us to a major threat to our standing structures:
Pigeons.
Aparently, the buildup of pigeon guano had been going on for some time, listed as a problem in a 1987-89 inspection report on the I-35 bridge. The pigeons often perch and even nest in the ridges of the steel support girders of the bridge. The buildup of nest material and feces could have possibly added thousands of pounds of weight stress to the structure. Furthermore, the digestive remnants contain ammonia and acids that can corrode metal.
Pigeon waste is often a problem in large cities the world over. However, it is rarely seen as more than a nuisance. In this case, it may turn out to be, in part, to blame for the deaths of 8 people and tens of millions in rebuilding, rescue and recovery costs. Just something to think about…the next time you drive over a bridge.
Related posts:
Not only do pigeons have no respect for statues of famous people, but they also cause bridges to collapse! What’s next, will they find out pigeons planned 9/11? I wouldn’t put it past the sneaky buggers…
Pigeons soooo did 9/11.
Doncha remember the stories about the terrorists speaking “pigeon english”?
They thought by spelling it “pidgin”, they could sneak it right by us, but I’m a lolcatter. Your phonetic spelling fools noone, FauxNewz!
Seagulls should receive an honorable mention. They are horrible little creatures.
most “little creatures” are horrible.
Mice. Ferrets. Chihuahuas. Children.
Pigeons are the worst. Fucking rats with wings.
They’re pretty tho.
The town where I went to college was eat the fuck up with pigeons. They loved mating on the porch-roof, just outside my bedroom window.
Come 4:20, it was awesome entertainment.
Ferrets are awesome. They’re like Kittens that never grow up.
@Bagel: cockroaches.
Ferrets, I hate how they smell. They remind me more of furry, smelly snakes with legs. Minus the venom.
Keep their cages clean and they smell fine. :P
Keep them in the freezer and you don’t even have to clean the cages.
get rid of the person in the house that wants one and you’re golden.
Soy wants 3, and name them Neil, and uh, those other 2 guys in Rush.
He’s more than welcome to bring ferrets into my house at any time. I have 2 vicious kitties, and organic kitty chow is expensive.
yeah, my manx wouldn’t mind something new to hunt. still, I’ll pass.
I’m telling you…come to NYC, you’ll hate pigeons for ever. All the russian immigrants do is feed pigeons…all day. they sit around and feed pigeons. and then the pigeons shit over everything. I think the Russian government is to blame for this mess…knew we couldn’t trust them…cold war over my ass.
What’s w/all of the pigeon hate?
As an aside, I’m glad you removed the video.
Why? What was wrong with it, Stepher? I mean, aside from the fact that it couldn’t be embedded, I mean. :P
It’s a great song!
That’s Neil, Alex and Geddy, Bage. But, then, Rush has always been lost on you.
@ Cody: Pigeons are agents of evil bent on our destruction? Welcome to MY MIND! Scared?
@ Keywork: Ferrets are the coolest rodents around; playful, clean and easy-going. They only stink if not properly cared-for.
@ Buttons: I know what you mean. Pigeons seem to resent us and, therefore, insult us by literally *shitting* on our monuments. The Russian immigrants are only feeding them to fatten them up!
“Living in a papered cage
approaches the unreal;
For those who stink and squeal
In touch with disinfectant from
beyond the smelly cage.”
-”Limelight” (As performed by my all-ferret Rush tribute band)
Oddly enough, ferrets are not actually rodents. They’re genetically identical to weasels and can interbreed with them, producing viable offspring. They are also very similar to cats and skunks - about as similar as, say, people are to chimps and gorillas.
That’s pretty wild. I had a friend in college who bred them and told me they were rodents because their teeth kept growing throughout their lives. I guess he was setting me up to look like an idiot, or he was a dumbass. I thought it was strange that they had canines.
@Soy: I guess I never knew anyone that cared enough to actually clean their ferret regularly.
@WPMB: yeah, dirty Russians. On the Gulf Coast (3rd Coast) it’s the Japanese tourists doing the dirty work. They feed the seagulls like crazy and everything gets shat upon.
heh.
Ferrets teeth don’t grow continuously.
Also, how did he breed them? The ones that you get in the pet store are fixed … :P
Ohhhh
I almost forgot.
I cappd a ferret for icanhascheezburger, a while back.
Here.
I still hate ferrets tho.
@ Jesse: He must’ve gotten some from a mill or something. He had a license and everything. I have a cousin who used to breed pit-bulls, too…probably why I take the whole Vick thing so personally.
Ferrets are interesting critters. IIRC they were one of the first small animals domesticated by humans, probably used for hunting originally. The original species that they were bred down from is extinct, and nobody is really sure what it was.
I think.
It’s been a while since I had ferrets or did any research on it, so I might be mis-remembering some of the details.
badgers.
evil, evil badgers.
[...] posts: Ripped From the Headlines … of Pravda - Pigeons: The Flying Enemy You Can’t Make This Shit Up - Ration Reality Comics: Child Discipline « Bizarre [...]
Yep, Badgers are evil.