Yahoo News Pranksters Who Put 'Make America Great Again' Hats on Pigeons Are Harming Birds, Says PETA
The latest viral stunt involving pigeons wearing different styles of hats has animal activists concerned about its impact on wildlife.
On Tuesday, ahead of the Democratic presidential debate, a flock of pigeons wearing red “Make America Great Again” caps were released onto the streets of Las Vegas by an underground radical group called P.U.T.I.N, an acronym for Pigeons United To Interfere Now, according to KSNV.
The political prank was meant to be an “aerial protest piece” against Democratic presidential candidates, who were in the city ahead of the debate, as well as a sign of loyalty to President Donald Trump, who was also in the city that night, the guerrilla organization said in a statement to the local news outlet.
The exploit comes just weeks after a pigeon was photographed wearing a small sombrero and two months after multiple pigeons were spotted in Las Vegas with cowboy hats on their heads.
One of the pigeons who had a cowboy hat glued to its head died mid-January, according to the Associated Press. It’s unclear if the headgear played a part in the death.
While the pranksters behind the MAGA hat incident told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that they used eyelash glue on the hats and the adhesive can be removed using dish soap when the fowls fly back to their coop, animal welfare advocates condemned the act as a risk to the birds’ health.
“These bozos aren’t scoring any points: Stupid pranks like this one are serious business that can interfere with pigeons’ ability to fly, see, and avoid predators, so it’s no surprise that at least one pigeon used in a similar stunt has already died,” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said in a statement. “PETA is no stranger to provocative protests, but whatever your cause or political affiliation, pigeons should be left in peace.”
Lofty Hopes, a Las-Vegas based pigeon rescue that spoke out in December when cowboy hats were glued on birds, called the political statement “one of animal cruelty.”
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“The type of glue used is insignificant. The hats impair the birds vision, leaving them more prone to predation, window strikes, being hit by cars, etc,” they said in a statement on Facebook. “Animals are not ours, they only want to live their lives free, just like us. Using animals to benefit humans is a disgraceful misuse of their trust in us.”
Per P.U.T.I.N, more than half of the birds wearing MAGA hats returned to their coop by Thursday, according to ABC News.
“We removed any hats that were still in place. Many had already fallen off due to the fact that eyelash glue was used. The adhesive is not very strong,” the group said. “P.U.T.I.N is a satirical project and in protest to Trump. Our group had nothing to do with the cowboy hat project.”
