Question: My boyfriend and I recently found a wounded pigeon next to his house, but when we called a number of organizations, including local veterinarians, for help on how to care for it or have it put down, no one seemed to be able to help much. We don’t want it to die in a cardboard box, or have to put it out its misery ourselves. What should we do? Why won’t anyone help?

Answer: Common pigeons are non-native species that spread disease. Most agencies don’t want to do anything to rehabilitate the birds and release them back into the wild, said District Wildlife Biologist Stuart Love of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“They are now essentially an invasive species, which means that they create a lot of problems from the human health standpoint and they, in some cases, create a disease concern for wild birds,” Love said.

The Coos County Animal Shelter does not take birds and Love said organizations, such as Free Flight Bird and Marine Mammal Rehabilitation Ltd. in Bandon, don’t want pigeons either. They have limited resources and want to spend funds judiciously. Also, they can’t release a bird like that in the wild because it goes against an Oregon law banning the release of animals into the wild without a permit.

If you find a feral pigeon, he suggested keeping it in a quiet place with bird seed and then wait to see if it heals.

“There comes a time where a decision has to be made to euthanize these birds if they are unable to recover and you are unable to care for them,” Love said.

MeriJane Deuel of Free Flight, a state and federally licensed wildlife hospital, mostly agreed with Love’s assessment. She said city pigeons are non-indigenous, and her hospital does not accept them.

“We just take care of wild birds,” Deuel said. “You don’t want to send a species that is invasive back into the habitat to produce and run off more of our native species.”

If you find a wounded bird or other animal, she, too, suggested putting it in a box in a warm quiet place. Deuel said to avoid feeding or watering the animal for the first 24 hours. After that, if it survives, you can offer it water.

“Most of the time they won’t drink,” she said.

After that, it’s up to the finder to take responsibility for it.

“We are all responsible for the wildlife,” she said, noting that not all veterinarians will accept pigeons for euthanization.

 The best bet, she said, is to call her hospital, and she can might be able to make a referral to a veterinarian.

Free Flight can be reached at 347-3882.