– When the Christmas tree netting is cut, pieces of thin nylon thread fall to the ground. The pigeons spend the whole day looking for food, says board member of the Bird Advocates, Mai Juliett Butters Amundsen. She says that the pigeons stomp around and get the nylon threads wrapped around their feet. The more the pigeons move, the tighter the thread becomes. The pigeons are unable to remove this from their feet themselves. – This can eventually cause quite a lot of damage. In the worst case, the pigeons could lose their foot, she says. The volunteers in the Bird Advocates often see pigeons that are missing toes when they are out cutting threads, she says. Board member of the Bird Lawyers, Mai Juliett B. Amundsen at the Christmas tree sales at Stortorvet in Oslo. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammar / news – This happens because the thread tightens so much that blood circulation is cut off. The toes then become necrotic and fall off, Amundsen describes. She shows news a thin nylon thread from the netting at a Christmas tree seller on Stortorvet in Oslo. – We see that there are an extra lot of these types of threads now in December, in connection with the Christmas tree sale. Just where the net is cut by the sellers, there are many small pieces of nylon thread on the ground. These are very fine, thin threads, so you hardly see them, says Amundsen. Mai Amundsen in Fugleadvokatene shows nylon thread from Christmas tree netting. This wraps around the feet of the pigeons when they stomp around, looking for food. NB! The rest of the pictures are of pigeon feet that are lashed in, have damage and a torn pigeon foot. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news Pigeon with nylon thread in Torggata in Oslo. Photo: Mai Juliett Butters Amundsen / Bird Advocates Pigeon with legs tied near Oslo S. Photo: Mai Juliett Butters Amundsen / Bird Advocates Pigeon foot wrapped in human hair. Photo: Agnieszka Pysz / Fugleadvokatene Parts of a torn pigeon’s foot and nylon thread with blood. From Torggata in Oslo. Photo: Mai Juliett Butters Amundsen / Bird advocates Flygeblad campaign Amundsen has initiated a campaign to do something about the problem. – Dear Christmas tree sellers. Did you know that remnants of the netting that the Christmas toes are wrapped in can cause great damage to bird feet? Leaflet from the Bird Advocates. Inspiration for the campaign comes from a German bird aid organisation, which had a similar campaign last year. Photo: Mai Juliett B. Amundsen / Fugleadvokatene This is how the flyer Amundsen has made for Fugleadvokatene begins. From their Facebook group, the Bird Advocates encourage their followers to spread the leaflet. So far, it has been distributed in several places in the country. Christmas tree drum. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news – I think the vast majority of Christmas tree sellers are not aware of the problem until they are informed about it, says Amundsen. She says that she and others cut threads from Christmas tree netting every week now. The Norwegian Veterinary Association: The netting is a threat to the pigeons Amundsen receives support from the president of the Norwegian Veterinary Association, Bente Akselsen. – The consequence for the pigeons is that they get a wound from the netting wire. They can also hang themselves from something else, with the thread. If the cord stops the blood supply, the surrounding tissue will die. In the worst case, the pigeon could lose its foot, she says. President of the Norwegian Veterinary Association, Bente Akselsen. Photo: Anita Stellander / news Akselsen says that the pigeons can also get an infection. – Infected wounds can give the bird bacteria in its blood. It can be very dramatic. The bird can actually die from it, says the president of the Veterinary Association. In addition, this is very painful for the pigeons. They have a nervous system just like us, says Akselsen. The danger that the Christmas tree netting poses to the birds applies to all remains in nature. – Particularly relevant now are nets around tit balls. It can settle around legs, beaks and do other types of damage. Fishing line is another thing that can harm birds. Christmas tree with the transport net on it. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news Bente Akselsen is happy that the matter is being raised, and has a call for everyone: – It is important that people are aware of what we leave behind us outside. It has an impact on the animals, states the veterinarian. – Can’t be a big problem Espegard, a company that imports Christmas tree netting from Germany, and sells equipment to Christmas tree sellers in Norway, is not aware of the problem. – This cannot be a big problem. But if there are birds that get stuck in nets or wires, that is completely unacceptable, says Espegard’s general manager, Rune Østgaard. Pigeon feet lashed in with nylon thread. Photo: Mai Juliett B. Amundsen / Fugleavdokatene He places the responsibility on the Christmas tree sellers: – If the birds wrap netting around their feet, the Christmas tree seller has not done his job and thrown the net in the bin. He advises people to pull the netting off, instead of cutting it up. Then there will be less waste. – I take it for granted that the Christmas tree sellers clean up after themselves, otherwise they are unlikely to return to the same place of sale next year, says Østgaard. It is therefore in everyone’s interest that outlets are cleaned, he believes. Christmas tree producers take action news has contacted the Norwegian Directorate of Agriculture. They refer to the industry organization Norsk Juletre. Managing director Heidi Amundsen has not heard of challenges with the network before news makes contact. She nevertheless acknowledges that this can be a problem. – If this is a reality, we must do something about it. Norsk Juletre will inform its members, who are Christmas tree producers, about the problem, she says. So they can encourage their Christmas tree sellers to clean up. She mentions that there is a degradable bionet. This has been very difficult to obtain this year. Managing Director of Norwegian Christmas Tree, Heidi Amundsen. Photo: Azad Razaei – I don’t know if bionets are that much better, but we have to look at solutions. “One too many is too much for a scumbag,” she states. – We must do what we can to ensure that Christmas tree sales do not come at the expense of wildlife, says the general manager of Norsk Yuletre. After news interviewed Amundsen, Norsk Juletre informed via its member magazine and contacted the Bird Advocates to invite a collaboration. We cannot follow this up next season, because Norsk Juletre is forced to close down, says Amundsen in Norsk Juletre. Promises to clean up At Stortorget, Bird Advocates’ Mai Juliett B. Amundsen gives a leaflet to the Christmas tree seller. The Christmas tree seller at Stortorget receives information. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news She tells about the problem and what the thread can do to the pigeons’ feet. – Please, can you promise to clean up, so the birds don’t get hurt, she asks. The Christmas tree seller smilingly promises to do so.
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The netting around Christmas trees can harm pigeons – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
