HAVING been a pigeon fancier for more than 40 years, I feel I must reply to the derogatory remarks of Messrs Woodall and Corcoran (Your Letters, May 14).

Their ignorant descriptions of pigeons as "filthy creatures", "flying rats" and "vandals" left me with a feeling of anger and disbelief.

For 25 years I had a loft in the garden of my mother's house and not once did the pigeons soil her washing or make a mess. Correspondents Woodall and Corcoran should remember that there are other winged creatures in the sky besides pigeons and none of them are particular about where their droppings fall!

As for the comment that pigeon fanciers should be licensed by the council, I suggest writing to Her Majesty the Queen asking her to take the lead, because she has a fine loft of racing pigeons housed at Sandringham and is patron of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association (one of the very few sports that has been granted a "Royal" prefix). Indeed, the royal family has been involved with racing pigeons since the late 1800s. I could go on about the sterling service that pigeons played in two world wars, carrying important messages over long distances in extreme conditions and saving the lives of quite a number of air crew when their planes had to ditch. Quite a lot of bombers would take off with at least one or two of these so-called "flying rats" or "vandals". Have these two critics never heard of the Royal Corps of Signals Army Pigeon Service?

And what about the thousands and thousands of pounds that pigeon fanciers raise every year for charities?

Incidentally, I don't keep a cat, but my well-tended garden is full of their foul smelling droppings, and I don't have a dog, but the footpath around my home is constantly fouled.

I suspect that, reading between the lines, Messrs Woodall and Corcoran have conspired on this matter with a view to getting at a pigeon fancier in their locality of Elton.

Without doubt, the population of feral (wild) pigeons is out of hand, but that is the problem for the local authorities who should control - but not eliminate - them.

Finally, Messrs Woodall and Corcoran and their like, should never, ever confuse the pedigree racing pigeon that is well cared for with the unfortunate, and mainly unloved, street pecker that we all see in our towns and parks.

NORMAN J. GREENHALGH,

Freshfields,

Radcliffe.

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