21 Live Pigeons In Garbage Bags Found In Nassau Dumpster: SPCA

Nassau County SPCA is looking to find the person or persons responsible for putting 21 live pigeons in sealed garbage bags and abandoning them in a dumpster on Tuesday morning.

The birds were discovered by a veterinarian who was making a daily stop at a Nassau County convenience store at 10 a.m., according to Volunteers for Wildlife on Facebook. An employee at the store approached the veterinarian and told him there were several sealed garbage bags moving inside a dumpster outside the store. The man ran outside to find 21 distressed pigeons inside the bag, according to a post by the rescue organization.

"Any animal found alive in a plastic bag in a garbage dumpster is just an animal crime, and we're going to try and locate the person and persons responsible," Gary Rogers, Nassau County SPCA Board President, told Patch.

The SPCA is offering a $2,000 award for information that leads to an arrest or conviction.

Rogers says the SPCA is in the preliminary stages of the investigation and cannot share additional information at this time.

The birds are now in the care of Volunteers for Wildlife. To help the rescue organization provide care for the pigeons, go here.

Image used with permission via Volunteers for Wildlife