chicot60
02-23-2011, 02:24 PM
Abbotsford pigeon thieves leave police in a fowl mood
Thefts of 5,500 birds from local operation result in major losses
Abbotsford Times February 23, 2011 2:07 AM Abbotsford police are ruffled over a spike in livestock thefts that's resulted in 5,500 pigeons disappearing into thin air.
Const. Ian MacDonald of the Abbotsford police said thieves have targeted three different operations on three separate occasions since November.
The largest two hauls involved the theft of 4,000 birds in November and another loss of 1,300 animals close to Valentine's Day. Another incident involved the theft of 200 birds.
The thieves seem to be honing in on pigeons, raised for the dinner table as squab, but seven goats were also stolen in a separate incident, MacDonald said.
"It's obviously unusual. How many people in Abbotsford are even aware of pigeon operations, much less where they are located?"
In an effort to track down the birds, police even went online.
"Everybody sells everything on Craigslist, and we couldn't preclude the possibility someone would be selling 4,000 pigeons," he said.
The theft may seem somewhat comical, and the police file coordinator has now been labelled the "fowl coordinator," but police are taking the case seriously, MacDonald said.
"Our crime analyst has liaised with the [Langley] RCMP about livestock thefts, and we found similar incidents were taking place in the neighbouring jurisdiction."
The operators have estimated their birds sell anywhere from $3 to $10 each, he said.
"We joke about it, but if you average it out, that's five bucks a head and around $20,000 in stock lost."
Read more:
http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Abbotsford+pigeon+thieves+leave+police+fowl+mood/4330715/story.html#ixzz1EnAs3tBZ
Thefts of 5,500 birds from local operation result in major losses
Abbotsford Times February 23, 2011 2:07 AM Abbotsford police are ruffled over a spike in livestock thefts that's resulted in 5,500 pigeons disappearing into thin air.
Const. Ian MacDonald of the Abbotsford police said thieves have targeted three different operations on three separate occasions since November.
The largest two hauls involved the theft of 4,000 birds in November and another loss of 1,300 animals close to Valentine's Day. Another incident involved the theft of 200 birds.
The thieves seem to be honing in on pigeons, raised for the dinner table as squab, but seven goats were also stolen in a separate incident, MacDonald said.
"It's obviously unusual. How many people in Abbotsford are even aware of pigeon operations, much less where they are located?"
In an effort to track down the birds, police even went online.
"Everybody sells everything on Craigslist, and we couldn't preclude the possibility someone would be selling 4,000 pigeons," he said.
The theft may seem somewhat comical, and the police file coordinator has now been labelled the "fowl coordinator," but police are taking the case seriously, MacDonald said.
"Our crime analyst has liaised with the [Langley] RCMP about livestock thefts, and we found similar incidents were taking place in the neighbouring jurisdiction."
The operators have estimated their birds sell anywhere from $3 to $10 each, he said.
"We joke about it, but if you average it out, that's five bucks a head and around $20,000 in stock lost."
Read more:
http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Abbotsford+pigeon+thieves+leave+police+fowl+mood/4330715/story.html#ixzz1EnAs3tBZ