The results of over preservation
(Internet Published) May 2002
We have moved from one extreme to another. In the mid-1800's when Tipplers
were starting to be cultivated in England a war against all kinds of Birds
of Prey had been going on for a long time. Gamekeepers were paid to shoot,
trap or poison anything that would kill the game. Farmers too killed birds
of prey in order to protect their poultry and dovecote pigeons. There were
no restrictions on taking eggs. This meant that the Tippler men had no
problems with falcons and hawks.
Then after World War II pesticides decimated the entire wild life of
England, even though by then laws were in force to protect it. The Tippler
fancy therefore had a clear field for some time further. Then the pesticide
ban started a recovery and the protection law became stricter. The general
public became more protective; the gamekeepers had disappeared. People whom
deliberately introduced birds of prey into areas where they had never been
before accelerated a natural recovery, on top of high buildings for example.
Things started to go wrong for all pigeon flyers and now there is an
impossible situation. Men have been forced to give up flying - They get no
sympathy from the general public who prefer the company of Falcons and Hawks
to the company of pigeons. Our city streets have too many feral pigeons and
these are pests sometimes. No one minds if a Falcon or a Hawk grabs one of
these.
However, these birds of prey are not selective. They seem to prefer pigeon
flesh too all other flesh but Tipplers are an added attraction. Their long
times on the wing and their high altitudes are rather like a red rag to a
bull. The Falcons notice them and will attack them. There are people who
believe that Falcons will only kill what they need and do not kill for the
sake of killing. Actually, they seem to enjoy the chase rather like a cat,
which will hunt a mouse with no intentions of eating it. The problem is that
even when a Falcon fails to kill a Tippler kit pigeon, it succeeds in
terrifying the entire kit and this ruins the necessary style that is
conducive to marathon times. Things are certainly getting worse every year -
Pigeon flying is becoming rare which is a great pity really. It was one of
our traditional sports and hobbies without which Old England will not be the
same.