Viral pigeon up for adoption

By Chris Jones/The Oshawa Express

With its leg warmers ready to go, Chocolate Milk is ready to go to their new home.

Chocolate Milk, a pigeon recently found in the backyard of an Oshawa resident wearing leg warmers, is up for adoption.

“The pigeon was found wearing very unique leg attire – we dubbed it leg warmers, but they are beads, so someone has made some bead work for this pigeon,” explains Oshawa Animal Services (OAS) supervisor Kathy Pittman-Feltham.

According to Pittman-Feltham, Chocolate Milk has gone viral, and is attracting many suitors.

“The pigeon seems to be quite domesticated, very social, doesn’t seem to be bothered by the other animals in the shelter and it’s just a curious, friendly bird,” she says.

Chocolate Milk is still able to fly. Pittman-Feltham explains it will be up to the person adopting whether to clip its wings.

“Sometimes some people choose to clip the wings, and we have not. We would just leave that up to the adopter to make that choice,” she says.

Pittman-Feltham says OAS isn’t sure why Chocolate Milk wears legwarmers.

“We’ve often seen pigeons in here that are banded because they are racing pigeons or pigeons used to breed or for various reasons, but we’ve never seen pigeons wearing this type of marking whatsoever.”

She guesses the unique fashion choice is from someone who breeds pigeons, and this is what they do to mark their birds.

Despite being up for adoption, Pittman-Feltham says OAS would give the bird back to the original owners.

Pittman-Feltham says she is curious why nobody has come forward yet to claim the bird, as it has gone viral on social media.

“This bird looks very unique, so we would hope that a friend of theirs would have seen it,” she says.

The owner would be able to prove ownership of Chocolate Milk with photos. If photos aren’t a possibility, the decision to give the bird back would be based off of a conversation.

“[Some questions include] where did you lose it, what are the normal habits around this pigeon, how does the pigeon react to the person, often their quite social and domesticated to their owner as well, and we would base it off that conversation,” she says.

OAS has already received many applications to adopt Chocolate Milk, and will continue taking them until 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 20.

It will cost $50 plus HST according to Pittman-Feltham, and OAS is looking to send Chocolate Milk to a home with experience taking care of birds and already has proper enclosures.

She says experience with pigeons would be a plus, and a home where Chocolate Milk can already have a “best friend” would be great too.

To learn more about adopting Chocolate Milk, or any other animal at the shelter, visit OAS at 919 Farewell Street.