The pigeon ‘was deliberately dyed this color and released’, according to the Wild Bird Fund (Picture: Wild Bird Fund/Phyllis Tseng)
A pigeon with its feathers dyed pink was found malnourished and rescued by a wildlife rehabilitation organization that believes that humans selfishly painted it for a celebration.
An image of the pigeon which was completely pale pink in color was shared by the Wild Bird Fund on social media on Monday, along with a message to spread awareness.
‘Pigeons come in many different colors and plumages, but pink isn’t one of them,’ wrote the nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation and education center that is based in New York City.
The domestic king pigeon ‘was deliberately dyed this color and released’, according to Wild Bird Fund.
The pink pigeon was found by an individual at Madison Square Park in New York City (Picture: Getty Images)
‘This poor bird has it bad enough as a domestic bird unable to find food in the wild, fly well or escape predators, but being a bright, unusual color makes him even more of a target,’ the organization wrote on Facebook.
‘He’s also barely more than a fledgling but shows signs of longterm malnutrition.’
An individual rescued the pigeon from Madison Square Park and it is safely in the care of the organization which is nursing it back to health.
Wild Bird Fund proceeded with a public service announcement to never release domestic birds into the wild.
‘Not for weddings, funerals, celebrations, art projects, anything. (We’d hope that “don’t dye them” goes without saying, but…) They will starve or be preyed on,’ the organization wrote.
All-white pigeons in the wild or a tame bird looking lost need help and should be caught and taken to an animal sanctuary, according to the nonprofit.
The community organization WILD for Prospect Park, which is focused on wildlife interests, learning and development in Brooklyn, commented that ‘we have no words’ about the pink pigeon.
Wild Bird Fund said the pink pigeon may have been bought at a poultry market and never flew before, and named it Flamingo.
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The domestic pigeon ‘was deliberately dyed’ pink and released into the wild, according to the rescuing organization.
