The State - News from Feb. 14, 1985

Animal rights defenders expressed outrage at a pair of trappers who snared 600 pigeons in San Francisco’s famed Union Square. “It is illegal and the people, if we catch them, are going to be prosecuted,” said Richard Avanzino, president of the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. “We feel it unacceptable that a community would sit by and tolerate this kind of insensitive and illegal act. . . . It is wrong, it is immoral, and it should be stopped.” The trappers, Jim Hicks and Dan Richardson, said they have worked in Los Angeles for several years, catching about 30,000 pigeons. They said the San Francisco birds will be sold to hunters for about $1 each and will be used for target practice or for training hunting dogs. Police who watched the men said no law was broken, but Avanzino said the city requires that trappers first obtain a permit.