National Pigeon Advocacy Association

Jenna

Jenna has been rescuing and rehabilitating pigeons and doves for nine years. Three years ago, she founded Moose’s Flock, a 501(c)(3) non-profit sanctuary and rescue in California, which has since helped more than 300 birds.

Moose’s Flock currently cares for around 200 pigeons, many of whom are available for adoption. The organisation has recently expanded to create a dedicated Pigeon Education and Adoption Centre in Jamul, California, with seven aviaries, an indoor bird room and a medical bay capable of caring for up to 300 birds.

Jenna is passionate about education and regularly takes part in outreach events, helping people — particularly children — develop compassion and understanding for pigeons and all animals.

Moose’s Flock is particularly known for taking in extreme medical cases, made possible through its close partnership with avian and pigeon specialist veterinarian Dr Athena Gianopoulos, founder of Feathers & Fur Animal Hospital and Medical Director of Moose’s Flock.

Jenna is joining us in person all the way from San Diego, California, to talk about one of the biggest challenges faced by pigeon rescues in the USA: pigeon racing.

Talk:

Lost, Injured & Forgotten: The Reality of Pigeon Racing

Saturday 15.10 - 16.00 pm

Pigeon racing is a huge and popular sport in the USA. Jenna will explore the training and racing practices involved, the trauma experienced by pigeons who fail to make it home, and why rescues across the US receive a flood of lost and injured racing pigeons every year.

Kevin Newell

Kevin runs Humane Wildlife Solutions, working to protect urban wildlife and challenge harmful practices that put birds at risk.

His work includes campaigning against the widespread use of bird netting, which can trap, injure and kill birds and is increasingly used across our towns and cities. He also helps customers find kind and humane solutions to protect their homes from wildlife, instead of using harmful pest control methods.

Talk

TRAPPED: The Fight to Save Our Urban Birds

SUNSAY 11TH OCTOBER 15.20 - 15.50 PM

Kevin will bring us an update on the ongoing fight against bird netting, explore how we can better protect our urban birds, and, most importantly, explain what YOU can do to help win this fight.

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Chava Sonnier 

Chava is president and cofounder of Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue, a 100% volunteer-run U.S. nonprofit that has rescued more than 3,200 domestic and non-releasable pigeons and doves since 2019 and placed over 2,000 in adoptive homes. GLPR currently cares for around 1,100 birds, filling the gap left when shelters class pigeons as wildlife and wildlife centres reject them as non-native. A volunteer avian-focused wildlife rehabilitator for some 20 years, a passionate vegan, and a nurse and data analyst by profession, Chava lives in a Washington, DC, townhouse with her husband Zach, Lilly the fluffy cat, Gilbert the leopard gecko, and roughly 30 non-releasable rescued pigeons.

Talk:

The distinction of domestication

Sunday 11th October 16.15 - 17.00pm

House Pigeons: Rock Doves, aka feral pigeons, aren't wild birds; they're homeless domestic animals. Drawing on two decades of avian rehabilitation experience, Chava Sonnier explores why rescued feral and domestic pigeons can thrive as house pets, responding very differently than wild species like wood pigeons or mourning doves, what that distinction means for rescue, rehabilitation, and responsible adoption.

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Aneesa Malik RVN

Aneesa Malik is a Registered Veterinary Nurse with extensive experience across first-opinion, charity, emergency, referral, exotic and wildlife care.

Her particular interests include animal welfare and ethics, emergency and critical care, pain management, wildlife and exotic patients, and end-of-life care. She has also completed the Advanced Programme in Nursing for Zoo Animals and is Fear Free certified.

Aneesa has a particular interest in pigeon welfare and veterinary care, and has written specifically about caring for wild pigeons in veterinary practice.

Talk

Saturday 10th October 11.20 am - 12.30 pm

Pigeon Health: Understanding Common Infectious Diseases - a basic overview

Aneesa will introduce the basic infectious diseases that can affect pigeons, how to recognise the signs, how infections spread, and what carers and rescuers need to know to help keep pigeons healthy and safe.

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Sam Crick

Sam Crick is a pigeon rescuer, rehabilitator and advocate, and the founder of the Dead Toe Society, an arts and activism initiative using creativity and community outreach to challenge how we view and treat pigeons.

Sam also runs Advocacy for Pigeons in the North of England, working to change the damaging narrative that pigeons are pests and promoting compassionate coexistence in our shared urban spaces.

She is particularly well known for her ability to spot, catch and treat pigeons suffering from stringfoot, giving hands-on help to birds who might otherwise go unnoticed or untreated.

Talk:

Dead Toe Society: Creative Activism for Pigeons

Saturday 17.15 - 18.00pm

Sam will explore how art and creativity can be powerful tools for pigeon advocacy. Through examples from Dead Toe Society, she will show how we can use our public spaces to challenge perceptions, start conversations and speak up for pigeons.

You don’t have to consider yourself an artist to be a creative activist. Sam will share ideas to inspire everyone to find their own creative ways to advocate for pigeons and make their voices heard.

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Ashley Dietrich

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Meg Germundson

Meg has worked in graphic design and marketing for over a decade, and holds a Masters in Mass Communications. Her thesis researched small nonprofits and focused on creating strategies to increase public engagement with rescued pigeons and doves. Meg has a pigeon microsanctuary of her own in addition to helping with the Olive's Place flock direct care and advocacy efforts.

Talk:

Marketing and psychology-based strategies in fundraising and advocacy for pigeons, with emphasis on small-scale rescues.

Sunday 11th October 

14.30 - 15.10 PM

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Sue Joyce

Sue Joyce began her work with birds around 15 years ago, when they came crashing into her life while she was working in veterinary practice.

What started as a sanctuary for garden birds, eventually became dedicated entirely to pigeons. After significant hardship, including homelessness and the loss of her land, Sue moved to Wales and the birds in her care were successfully rehomed. She continues to contribute towards their care, but her main focus is now advocacy.

Sue travels across the UK with her talk, Why We Need to Love Pigeons, challenging myths, changing perceptions and helping people see these remarkable birds with greater compassion.

In 2025, Sue founded the National Pigeon Advocacy Association (NPAA) and established the International Pigeon Advocacy Conference, bringing together people working in pigeon rescue, welfare, rehabilitation, advocacy and education.

Over the past two years, she has spoken to more than 6,000 people, including on the Main Education Stage at Vegan Camp Out, as well as appearing on radio and television. Her social media work with Protect the Wild and Paul Goodenough amongst others, has reached more than 8 million viewers, bringing pigeon welfare to audiences far beyond the traditional animal welfare community.

Sue’s work is ultimately driven by one simple belief: pigeons deserve to be understood, respected and loved.

Talk:Sue’s talk will focus on the work of the NPAA, how people can get involved, and her vision for a future where pigeons are understood, protected and valued.

Saturday 10th October 10.45- 11.15 am  

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Matt O’Leary

Matt O’Leary is a former zoological worker with extensive experience across zoological collections in the UK, Europe and Southeast Asia.

Throughout his career, Matt has gained extensive knowledge and practical experience in animal care, husbandry and welfare, working with a wide variety of species and developing a particular understanding of how good care and enrichment can improve animal wellbeing.

Talk: 

Using Enrichment to Improve Welfare

In this talk, Matt will explore what we need to consider when creating a goal-based enrichment programme for pigeons, and how thoughtful enrichment can support their welfare and wellbeing.

Sunday 11th October 10.00 - 10.30 am

 

Jenny Mason

Jenny Mason is a wildlife rehabilitator with around 20 years of experience, specialising in birds — particularly those who need a little extra love.

She has always had a soft spot for the underdog: the broken, vulnerable, needy and overlooked. What began with rescuing birds in need has grown into a lifelong passion for giving them a second chance, whether that means helping them return to the wild or providing a safe, forever home when that is no longer possible.

Over the years, Jenny has rescued and rehabilitated thousands of birds, and throwing herself into a wildlife emergency has become second nature!

Deeply connected to nature and endlessly fascinated by the creatures we share our world with, Jenny also loves encouraging others to get involved. She runs beginner training sessions and shares her knowledge and experience to help others support wildlife.

Jenny will always champion the underdog, always strive to do better, and always be in the corner of the little guys.

Workshop 

Jenny is running a beginners Pigeon care session on

Sunday 11th October 10.30 - 11.00 am