A bizarre video appears to show a man poaching pigeons off New York City's streets with a giant net for what some suggest is their use in live shooting events.
In a 17-second video allegedly shot in Manhattan's East Village Friday, an unidentified man is seen hastily walking off with a giant, wriggling net in his hands.
Sarah Wagner, who uploaded the video, said she noticed the man feeding the birds before taking a net from a nearby van and slapping it on top of them.
"The birds were freaking out and he carried them in the net and put them in the back seat of his van and sped off. Everyone was like WTF!.." she wrote with her video's posting to Facebook.
In New York, trapping pigeons on public land is allowed only by permit.
It's also a misdemeanor offense to carry an animal in a cruel or inhuman manner, punishable by up to a year in prison and/or a fine up to $1,000.
Wagner claims that the man is known for illegally catching pigeons and selling them to clubs that use them for sport in shooting events.
Another Facebook user claimed to have seen the same man doing the same thing in his neighborhood.
Last summer about 300 pigeons were reported snatched from nearby Washington Square Park under similar circumstances.
According to the Washington Square Park Blog, a man lured the birds with seed before throwing a net on top of them and hauling them away to a vehicle. It's alleged that the birds were taken to Pennsylvania where it’s legal to shoot live pigeons for sport.
Pennsylvania is the only state known to host multiple pigeon shoots, according to the Humane Society which has worked to ban the live shootings.
Police, reached by CBS New York, said they are aware of Friday’s incident but are not investigating it because they have not yet received a formal complaint.
A request for comment from Wagner was not immediately returned.
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