The_Rambler_1977-03-17

              Health Reasons Cited as Pigeon
Population Decreases
by Dorothy Stasik aAd Debby
Beitch
Since May of last year the
Central Health Services
Committee, chaired by Dr.
Paul Bedell, has been studying
ways to control the ever
increasing pigeon population
on the Farmingdale Campus.
They have finally come up with
a solution.
For the last five weeks
University employees have
Students Get Opportunity
for Outside Study
Under the direction of Dr.
Michael Abbatiello, Coordina-tor
of this new program,
Farmingdale is the only college
in New York State that gives its
students an opportunity to
study at an outside facility;
supply them with a true picture
of animal care. The facility
supporting this program is the
Bide-A-Wee Animal Hospitol
and Shelter in Wantagh.
According to Dr. Warren G.
Hoag, Director of Veterinary
Medical Services and Director
of the Bide-A-Wee clinics in
New York, Westhampton
Beach and Wantagh, **We are
pleased to have Farmingdale
students learn their craft at our
facility. The long-range goal is
that individuals taking care of
animals under this progra will
be better trained and it will also
give this field a future labor
pool to choose from."
The program is broken down
so that the twenty-five
laboratory animals students
spend three sessions per week,
approximately four hours, at
this Bide-A-Wee center. They
will be gaining experiences in
areas such as: working in the
operating room, assisting in the
kennels, preparing animals for
operations, learning how to
restrain animals properly for
physical tests, working in the
laboratories, record-keeping,
and reception of animals. They
will also be given the
opportunity to assist the
Veterinarian in the pharmacy
of the Bide-A-Wee Center. In
essence, they will have all the
training similar to a student
nurse or dental hygienist as
they prepare to enter their
professions.
'^The nature of this program
is very suitable for Long
Island**, states Mauro Zulli,
Acting President of Farming-dale.
"There are over four
hundred animal facilities in
Nassau and Suffolk counties
and Farmingdale has always
prided itself on establishing
qualified graduates to enter the
job market. I would like to thak
the Bide-A-Wee organization
for providing the facility for
our students to learn this craft.**
The Bide-A-Wee, a non-profit
organization, was
established in 1903 and the
original concept of never
destroying an animal unless it is
incurably ill still holds true.
Bide-A-Wee never takes an
animal unless there is room.
This organization is interested
in finding homes for its many
animals, and through this
adoption service, over fifteen
.tho;usand animals find new
homes every year. The
Wantagh Bide-A-Wee cUnic
handles approximately five
hundred clinical cases and
about one hundred surgical
cases, mostly involving the
spaying of animals, per week.
The area of veterinarian
assistant neds educated
individuals and Farmingdale,
once again, is leading the way
in providing this service.
been spreading avatrol, a
chemical that disorients
pigeons, on large kernel com.
This method has been
approved by the Auduboa
Society because it is the most
humane way of dealing with the
problem.
Smaller birds, like robins and
chickadees will not be affected
by this because they are unable
to swallow the large pieces of
corn. If swallowed by cats,
dogs, rabbits or other small
animals the avatrol will cause
the animals to regurgitate after
which there will be no side
effects.
After the pigeons ingest the
food they begin to stumble
around on the ground. They
are then taken by the grounds
keepers and brought to holding
cages and are fed regular feed.
The birds which have died were,
either old or sick, the healthy
ones survived.
The decision to do this came
about because of the health
hazard caused by these birds.
The stools excreted by the
pigeons carry cryptocurrus
m e n i n g i t i s , a s e r i o us
respriatory disease, as well as
other diseases, including
encephalitis.
So far the pigeon population
has been decreased by
approximately 125 birds. Next
winter the college will continue
to use this method to catch the
birds and plans to set up pigeon
coops to shelter them.
If you see any pigeons on
campus who look sick, DO
NOT TOUCH THEM. They
may be under the influence of
the avatrol or they may be
seriously sick. Please contact
Mr. Harrison*s office at
extension 2658 and the
maintenance crew will take
care of the bird. Within 24
hours the birds recover and are
sent to one of the three local
pigeon breeders. The mortality
rate of the pigeons who have
eaten the avatrol is 1 to 3%.
Gas Leak Closes Hale Hall
Cindy Rosenthal
During the afternoon of
March 2nd and on the
mornings of March 3rd and 4th
Hale Hall was closed to
students for what was a gas
leak.
According to Fred Harrison
D i r e c t o r of Safety at
Farmingdale, it wasn*t really a
gas leak.
"People smelled not the actual
gas but the material added to it
to give it an odor. We closed the
building as a safety precaution
and for peoples peace of mind.**
Lilco was called and they
turned the gas off so the pipes
could be tested. Harrison said
that they were tested for thirty
pounds of pressure but less
than one pound of pressure
goes through there in a day.
"When I went in Hale, I
couldn't even get a reading on
the meter I had brought,**
Harrison said, "Ther really
wasn*t any hazzard.**
Since this incident every thing
has been fixed. The gaskets and
valves have all been changed.
Harrison said there was very
little chance of this happening
again. **There are older
buildings on this campus than
Hale and its was built in 1968.**
he continued. "We*ve never had
a problem like this before and I
can*t forsee it happening
again.**
Cancer Producing Agent
in Water Well
Mar(a Sue Malkman
The drinking water in the
SUNY at Farmingdale has
been tested for an excess of
pollutants.
Richard Buckheit, a student
here at Farmingdale read that
pollution tests were being done
in the surrounding areas of
Farmingdale but not in th.e
East Farmingdale District.
Concerned about this
situation, Buckheit notified the
Administration at Farming-dale.
They in turn notified Mr.
Holtzmacher and Mr.
McLenden, men in; charge of
the water tests from the Suffolk
County Water District.
There are three water wells in
our East Farmingdale District.
Two of them are our major
wells and the third is a
subsidiary well. We receive
water from many other wells in
Suffolk County but these two
are our major source of water
supply.
Tlie results of the tests were
good. Out of three wells, two
met the criteria. The third well,
which is the subsidiary well,
exceeded the limit of ten with
chloroethylene, a cancer
producing pollutant. Fortun-ately,
this well, being the most
shallow, has been closed for
two months and will remain
closed until the water tests done
on it prove normal.