Saturday, May 29, 2010

Publix , the TERMINATOR

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Publix: Where Shopping Is a Pleasure unless you're a Sparrow

This Terminator story is not science fiction and all the characters are real--a giant corporation versus a helpless little Sparrow.

I have a soft spot for animals and birds and wouldn't kill a fly. Most of us are caring and want to protect our living creatures. Everything we do is vitally important no matter how minuscule we might think it to be...like opening a window to shoo the bug out instead of swatting it. In the grand scheme of things our seemingly small actions add up to a lot. I am always showing my bird photos on this blog. Their habitats are threatened today and it is our responsibility to protect them in anyway that we can.

Over last weekend, what was described as a little house sparrow weighing about ¾ of an ounce flew into the Publix on W. Lantana Road. On Monday it was gone. Originally it was reported to me that there were two birds. Naturally I was curious…how did this giant, wealthy corporation, Publix, take care of (get rid of) this little tiny sparrow that had lost its way? I called the store manager, Thomas Zemaitis, and asked what happened. He knew "nothing about it" as he had just returned to work after having been off for a week. Once I asked for an official statement, he said that he would get back to me the next day.

On Tuesday, I got a call from Leslie Spencer, Director of Consumer Relations at Publix’s corporate offices in Lakeland. She told me that the bird was definitely not a Mockingbird (does it make a difference?) but a Sparrow and Publix had only received two concerned calls regarding the bird. (I guess the lack of calls made it insignificant). She said that the store has now put up deterrents so that hopefully little birds will no longer fly into the store. They recently installed kites with streamers near the center entrance and above the doors. They “fixed” a sign where birds were chirping and hanging out. I asked her what happened to the bird that flew into her store and she stated that the bird was TERMINATED.

Ms. Spencer talked about Avian flu and other diseases that humans can contract from birds and why it was so important to rid the store of this sparrow. Ways to keep Birds at Bay

The most expedient thing for Publix to do was to kill the bird. Anything else was going to be too big of a hassle I guess. When asked how it was terminated, she said she didn’t know. The store management apparently did not call anyone to help capture this little bird. Publix has no policy on this and Ms. Spencer indicated that each of its stores are different.

Although this bird was first introduced to North America in 1852 and is one of the most abundant birds in North American, Cynthina Plockelman, first vice president of the Audubon Society of the Everglades described the sparrow as an “exotic pest.” She indicated that lots of the stores have these little birds and normally they are just left alone. "You just shoo them out," she said.

Ms. Plockelman had no suggestions as to what a store should do if a bird flies in and when their ceilings are high. She suggested that I visit the Audubon Web Site. I took her advice but it gave no information as to whom to call or what to do in such a circumstance.

The bird was frantic and chirping a lot, just looking for a caring hand.

It was stressed and looking for a way out of its situation.

Those shoppers that noticed the bird(s) gone were concerned.

It is our responsibility to remember that the interests of creatures must always comes first...wildlife, its environment, and the rights of living things. In any conflict of interest between birds, the welfare of the birds and their environment is a priority. Afterall, we are the ones who have infringed upon them.

Publix was NOT a pleasure that day at least for that little bird; Publix forgot that the life of this little bird is important and their responsibility to protect it was cast aside for the easy solution.

If you're shopping at Publix on W. Lantana Road today, ask about the little Sparrow.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Give me a break! It was ONE sparrow. A species which harms other birds by invading their nests and pushing the young birds out of them.

Lynn Anderson said...

Blame their instinctive habits on God. I would wager to say that MAN is much more dangerous than this little Finch. :)

admin said...

Lynn, I find it odd that someone who cares so deeply for the smallest of creatures would allow anyone to post comment on your blog advocating for the murder of Supreme Court justices and the vicious rape of their wives and their daughters ("Supreme Court Lost It" May 17th, 2010) without any comment from you denouncing such a suggestion. Just a thought.

PS, For some reason, my only choice for identifying myself as author of this comment is as admin, which I clearly am not.

Mary Lindsey

Lynn Anderson said...

It just shows the extreme personalities in this world...mine included. I try to honor freedom of speech when I can and feel that it is necessary to post the most bizarre and inflammatory of comments from time to time. It puts everything in perspective as far as those with whom we are dealing with on a daily basis here in LW...all part of the picture which ain't pretty all of the time.

Anonymous said...

Ironically, if Publix called a pest removal company to catch the bird and release it, or did it themselves they may be violating the law if it were a "House Sparrow" as most urban sparrows are.

"If you do choose to trap and remove House Sparrows yourself, you will need to humanely euthanize the birds or take them to your local animal control agency for euthanasia. You cannot simply release the birds elsewhere, since it is illegal to release any non-native wildlife in Florida."

House Sparrows are an invasive bird negatively impacting native bird species and are identified as carrying the West Nile Virus as well as spreading other diseases.

Lynn Anderson said...

Gee, Thanks, Tom....for all yur research into the subject. They could have called our CRA to give them a little more money, I suppose, to get rid of the bird, humanely, of course. Tell it to the bird, Tom. You just open the doors like every other store does and it flies out.

ArĂȘte said...

LYNN, 'KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE SPARROW', especially when,'THE GOING GETS NARROW'.