The Problem With PETA

It was brought to my attention that Reese Witherspoon got married on March 26th in fact the link was sent to me directing me to Faded Youth Blog.  So I read the article and it announced the marriage of Reese Witherspoon to Jim Toth. It talked about that they got married in Ojai CA on March 26th and the individuals who participated in the ceremony.  The article covered some of the guests that were present such as Conan O'brien.  Then as a conclusion of the ceremony 80 doves were released,  which the article had a picture of some of the birds flying.  I'm thinking to myself this is great publicity in promoting dove releases.  But at the very end of the article it goes on to say that they asked PETA for their thoughts on Dove Releases, and this is what one of their representatives had to say.

"White doves are specifically bred for release and used by thoughtless event planners. Because doves are flock animals, they have very little chance of surviving on their own when they are released at events. Sending white doves into the air after having kept them confined for their entire lives is tantamount to abandoning a household companion animal in the woods 10 miles from home and should be as illegal. The initial release confuses doves, especially if it’s done at night (when many celebrations take place). Doves are diurnal, so being exposed at night already puts them at a disadvantage. In the confusion of the moment, the birds dissipate and flounder into the night. Come morning, these doves are on their own. Unless they are lucky enough to find a flock of pigeons or other doves to join up with, they won’t survive. However, even if they do find other birds to hang out with, the disoriented doves will remain an easy target for hawks and other predators"

This type of misinformation just sets my blood to boil.  I'm a firm believer that animals need to be treated with respect and their handling needs to provide them with the highest form of safety.  When one looks at the picture of the birds in the article it is easy to identify them as homing pigeons and not ring neck doves.  It is this misinformation that confuses individuals who want to do the right thing and yet want to enjoy these beautiful animals.  My hat is off to Reese for releasing the doves it looks like it was a beautiful event.  If you have any questions or comments email me at dovesforrelease@yahoo.com  check out my website at http://www.dovesforrelease.com/