Bayonne Business Administrator Andrew Casais says City Hall is working to save the last of roughly 30 birds trapped under the Route 440 bridge crossing, with animal activists voicing concerns about the situation.
Facebook photo.
By Dan Israel/Hudson County View
“The administration understands that this understandably garnered a great deal of attention and concern. Since learning about the issue, the administration has been working to determine how the matter could be addressed as quickly and safely as possible,” Casais said in a statement.
The problem was first noted by the administration via the Bayonne Office of Emergency Management (OEM), who took to social media on September 1st.
According to Casais, at the direction of the administration, the city’s Department of Public Works and vendor Ehrlich Pest Control have been actively engaged to remove the birds “as expeditiously as possible.”
He said that 48-hour checks have since transitioned to daily checks, with multiple releases being made.
The story began in May, when the prior city council adopted a resolution awarding a contract to Ehrlich Pest Control to install PVC-coated, stainless steel mesh under the bridges located nearest to the intersections of Broadway at 8th Street, Linnet Street, and Avenue E – excluding Hudson-Bergen Light Rail bridges.
The total cost of the contract was $64,215 roughly divided between each bridge, according to Casais.
The purpose and intention of the netting is to mitigate the ongoing public health concerns involving the accumulation of bird feces under the bridges caused by concentrated bird roosting over pedestrian walkways, he also said.
Prior to the institution of a netting solution, regular and ongoing cleaning efforts were conducted by the DPW.
According to Casais, these efforts were unsuccessful in providing a lasting solution that adequately addressed public health demands. Over the summer months the netting was successfully installed at the Linnet Street and Avenue E location without incident.
During the installation, any birds – which Casais said were largely, if not exclusively, pigeons – that were unable to be removed from bridge structure were trapped.
He said the birds were caught using baited traps with food and water and humanely released on a recurring basis until all birds were removed from the structure.
In recent weeks, work at the Broadway and 8th Street location commenced and was substantially completed on Friday, August 28.
At the time of substantial completion, approximately 30 birds remained in the bridge structure at the Broadway and 8th Street location.
“It is the city’s hope that the remaining birds will be trapped and released within the coming day. This is completely dependent on the behavior of the birds, as baited traps have been set,” Casais continued, noting only a handful remain.
Casais stressed that it is imperative that the public not interfere with the protocol in place to ensure that all remaining birds are trapped and released, like the dozens that have been released since the onset of this concern, he said.
“The administration understands the passionate sentiments around this topic,” he stated.
“However, well-intentioned feeding of birds from the ground, or creating audible distractions will only cause further delays to the trapping and release of the remaining birds.”
According to Casais, while the previous council authorized the netting, this administration is taking responsibility over the situation and working toward a solution.
“While the decision to conduct this work was not made by this administration, it fully understands its responsibility to address the situation as humanely as possible, learn from it, and improve on processes going forward,” he concluded.
Before Casais’ remarks on Friday, the situation had garnered a lot of attention on the streets and online, with residents expressing sympathy for the trapped birds stuck under the bridges.
The situation prompted the group Jersey City Birds to pen a letter to the Bayonne City Council and Mayor Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski calling for the release of the birds amid the ongoing rescue efforts.
“Several community members have reached out via Facebook and Instagram regarding the pigeons trapped in netting at 8th Street. We know steps have been taken in an attempt to remedy it, but these steps are insufficient,” said Jersey City Birds Founder Lorraine Freeney said in her letter, which she also shared to social media on Wednesday.
“We urge Bayonne to respond more quickly and remove birds ASAP. We received distressing photos and videos taken this morning of trapped young birds separated from their parents. They are suffering and will die unless released. No birds should be treated in this manner.”
Freeney went as far as calling the situation “animal cruelty.”
“Trapped birds need to be released immediately and a plan put in place that will ensure no more birds suffer in this way,” she further stated.
“We will help transport injured birds if necessary and offer any other guidance we can. But please remove them ASAP and stop this cruelty.”