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Who Is The Pigeon Man? And Is This Illegal?
Who is the pigeon man and why is he stealing birds in downtown Los Angeles? A reader alerted us to strange video showing a man setting a trap for pigeons on Spring Street. The birdnapper and accomplice successfully capture four birdies in a cage and drive away in a brown Chevy pickup truck. The video, allegedly shot last week on March 18th, raises the question, "Is this legal?"
Good question. We know that feeding pigeons on the street is illegal in that area, but is it also illegal to snatch them up?
The Wyld Stallyns law office of LAist S. Preston Esquire pointed us to the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) Section 53.06.3 dealing with trapping and permitting:
SEC. 53.06.3. TRAPPING - PERMIT REQUIRED (Amended by Ord. No. 170,644, Eff. 9/14/95.) (a) No person shall set, or cause to be set, any trap to catch any animal, other than rats, mice, pocket gophers, ground squirrels and moles, without having first obtained a permit therefor from the Department prior to the setting of any such trap.
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