Forget fish; this idea should fly
by Hal Jacobs
Who can blame city officials for drooling over a huge city aquarium, especially when you consider the second choice is a museum for either trains, African-Americans, or the Olympics. Although nice, in a city museum kind of way, compared to them, a large fish tank is big-time sexy, even though the aquarium-building trend seems played out (once you've seen one tiger shark close up, you've seen them all).
Certainly downtown is ripe for a big idea. And if fish is not the answer, then what about fowl?
Pigeons, that is. A natural resource downtown Atlanta is already blessed with.
The way it now stands, a U.S. citizen must travel all the way to Trafalgar Square in London or St. Mark's Square in Venice for a big-time pigeon experience. Thousands of pigeons in one place. Pigeons to the left of you, pigeons to the right. Great colorful flocks of pigeons sailing like kites overhead, swooping down, landing with a soft flapping of wings, cooing at your feet like the lovebirds they are. Pigeons on your head and shoulders while you grin awkwardly and get your photo snapped for the folks at home.
Centennial Park would be perfect. Centrally located, spacious, and already equipped with a walk-in shower.
But what really makes pigeons a perfect match for Atlanta is that for thousands of years pigeons and doves (same Columbidae family, different sizes) have been associated with purity, innocence and love. What could be a more appropriate symbol in the land of Martin Luther King, Jr., Jimmy Carter and Goodwill Games Ted Turner (not World Championship Wrestling Turner)?
Also, pigeons have the kind of appeal that crosses age, race and class (except to pigeon stompers who refer to them as "flying rats"). Plus, these lovebirds possess the kind of family values that would make a southern, Disney-boycotting fundamentalist proud. Not only do they mate for life (and mate frequently), but also mom and dad take turns caring for the squabs. However, if an adult male who shares nest duties for the young isn't macho enough for you, consider The Mocker, a WWII carrier pigeon who, despite shrapnel that destroyed his left eye and gashed his head, delivered a message that saved an American unit pinned down by heavy Germany artillery fire.
Students may want to keep in mind that Charles Darwin wrote more words about pigeons than Galapagos finches in "The Origin of Species." He kept every different type he could - from turbits, tumblers, nuns, to common frillbacks. These days scientists at Cornell University are asking young volunteers to report on the number and color of pigeons they see because they want to know why pigeons, unlike most birds, come in so many colors, stripes, and spots (call 1-800-843-BIRD).
If you're concerned about pigeon disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website says that only full-time pigeon hatchery employees are at a risk for chlamydial diseases or histoplasmosis. Instead, you should worry more about that chicken leg in your next take-out bag.
So, let's crunch some numbers. For a fraction of the $75 million aquarium bill, Atlanta's Pigeon Project could hire a crack team of pigeon coordinators to wear pith helmets and run the show. That includes cleanup and enough Purina Pigeon Chow to fatten up those scrawny birds on Marietta Street. Once the word gets around, we can expect to see pigeons fleeing the auto-stricken suburbs and soaring back downtown where they belong.
And, if things go well, perhaps city leaders will be able to persuade the Atlanta Falcons to change their predatory name.
Go Squabs!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sunday Sept. 13, 1998
