Graphic ad aims to build support for ending Pa. pigeon shoots
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A new TV ad soon to appear on screens across Pennsylvania features some stomach-turning footage.
The commercial is the latest attempt by animal advocates to ban pigeon shoots.
The graphic commercial, narrated by the 90-year-old game show host Bob Barker, shows footage of dead and dying birds after they were shot. The ad then calls for Pennsylvania lawmakers to vote for a ban on the shoots such as the one held regularly at the Philadelphia Gun Club in Bensalem.
“It will start in about a week because that’s when the legislators are coming in,” said Steve Hindi, president of the animal protection group “SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness,” or SHARK, that’s sponsoring the ad campaign. “It will show graphic images of pigeons being shot and the dead piles that these animals end up with — which include not only thousands of dead animals, but live wounded animals.”
“It is some of the worst cruelty to be found in the country. It is gruesome,” Hindi said. “You know, why should we sugarcoat something?”
The animal protection organization received a $1 million grant from Barker a few years ago to continue its fight to outlaw pigeon shooting and other forms of cruelty to animals.
Members of the Philadelphia Gun Club recently sued the activists, accusing them of stalking, harassment, defamation and libel.
The legislation, which has bipartisan sponsors, has never gained traction in Harrisburg.
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