Pest Control or Animal cruelty?

The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated: 04/17/2009 08:28:42 AM MDT


A city building inspector warned David Shutt and his roommates that they had to do something about the flocks of pooping pigeons infesting their University of Utah-area residence.

But 2News reports today that when David tried to do that, he ended up being arrested and jailed for nine hours on suspicion of animal cruelty and shooting a weapon inside city limits. The alleged crime? Killing, he says by accident, one of the feathered horde with a BB gun.

Shutt , an engineering student at the U, says he was just trying to scatter the birds who live in the eaves and alcoves of the home he and his roommates rent at 1020 South 300 East in Salt Lake City.

Shutt says that minutes after he shot the bird on Easter Sunday, the house was swarming with police officers. He was handcuffed, arrested and booked into jail.

Eventually, a conversation with jail guards may have led to his release.

"I told the guy behind the window, 'I really am sorry I killed the pigeon,' and he said, 'What, you're in here for killing a pigeon?' and a little bit after that I was released," Shutt said.

Shutt acknowledges it was not a good idea to shoot inside city limits, even with a BB gun. "I'd gladly plead guilty to that," he says. But he balks at doing the same for any animal cruelty charge.

"Animal cruelty is torturing your dog, not pest control," he argues.

Even Ann Davis of the Animal Advocacy Alliance of Utah thinks that charge may


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be a bit over the top. Davis and others fought hard a year and a half ago at the state legislature to have animal cruelty laws beefed up in the state of Utah. Law makers recently amended the current law to allow prosecutors to charge people with a felony if they torture companion animals such and dogs and cats.

Salt Lake City police declined to comment. The city prosecutor will now screen the case.

Here's a direct link to the article and the blog. This is an opportunity of us, as advocates, to speak up regarding the actions of this young man.

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_12164099

Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Charis.

We have access to a lot of positive information about pigeons.
Let's put it to use.

Cindy

What a sad world we live in, when a young man sees torturing your dog as cruelty, but not when it involves a bird. And I think it is sadder yet, when Ann Davis of the Animal Advocacy Alliance of Utah, doesn't view the shooting of a pigeon as cruelty. Maybe it should be called the SELECTED Animal Advocacy Alliance of Utah. This is a prime example of how uneducated the world is. I thought Animal Advocacy meant ALL animals. Not just our pets. One persons idea of a pest species, is another persons idea of a pet. So whose views do we uphold? Who decides? When you pass laws to protect animals, it has to mean ALL ANIMALS, or it just doesn't mean much. And if you are someone who stands up in the defense of animals, then you must stand up for all animals, or you are not doing much. How do we decide which animals are worthy, and which are not? Until we view all animals equally this is what we will be up against. Sad.

The shame is that usually, the most ignorant are also the most verbal. Sadly, that's the kind of person who comments on things like this. I think that's why most of the comments were negative. The most unintelligent usually seem to have the most to say.

NiteOwl wrote:

The shame is that usually, the most ignorant are also the most verbal. Sadly, that's the kind of person who comments on things like this. I think that's why most of the comments were negative. The most unintelligent usually seem to have the most to say.

You're so right! It's so easy to spit pointless venom from behind the relative safety of a username... :For Shame: