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The NYPD told VICE that it has opened an investigation and found no evidence that someone stole pigeons from the park. But the local birders at Washington Square Park say they've seen a noticeable drop in the number of pigeons they see there."It sucks," said Tina Trachtenburg, an animal activist who's been feeding the birds in the park for 55 years. "Its really, really heartbreaking."The local community of birders, many of whom visit the park every day, went so far as to hold a memorial service for the pigeons, and one has even offered a $500 reward for information about the pigeon bandits.The saga of pigeon thievery in New York is surprisingly long and tumultuous. Last May, another man, 49-year-old Pablo Alomar, was arrested on 72nd Street in Manhattan for netting pigeons. And back in 2008, a pigeon broker was allegedly buying birds that were netted off the streets at a Brooklyn pet store. This broker happened to be the organizer of a large pigeon shooting tournament in Pennsylvania, the only state where shooting pigeons is legal and openly done.
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