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A concerning incident unfolded in Queens, New York, where an employee at a halal food cart was captured on video snatching a pigeon and storing it in a plastic bag before returning to his workstation.
The scene was witnessed by Oriana Winchester Biersack, who was waiting for her bus. She observed the worker initially feeding the pigeons before attempting to catch one of them, as reported by the New York Post.
Though his first attempt was unsuccessful, the worker managed to capture a pigeon on his second try, placing it in a plastic bag before heading back to his cart.
NYC halal food cart worker caught catching pigeon with bare hands: ‘Beyond disgusted’ pic.twitter.com/CQfUrFuBMY
— New York Post (@nypost) January 4, 2025
The incident was recorded by Biersack, who shared her outrage on Instagram.
“Omg, I can’t believe what I just saw!” Biersack wrote on her Instagram account.
“Please don’t buy food from this food truck! He throws food scraps to the pigeons and then he captures the pigeons to sell them! I swear I have seen crazy but this tops it all! This food truck is located in Queens, New York, at the corner of Queens Blvd and Junction Blvd, across from the Rego Park mall, right in front of TD Bank. Spread the word guys! I am beyond disgusted!”
The footage quickly spread across social media, garnering more than 15 million views on Instagram.
Biersack later told The Post that she witnessed the worker washing his hands and mouth afterward. She explained that he was “sticking his fingers into his mouth and scrubbing his teeth with his fingers.” While she didn’t record these subsequent actions, she reported the incident to health authorities.
Muhammad Mola, another cart worker, explained that the individual involved was a temporary employee from Bangladesh who wasn’t familiar with American customs. According to Mola, the worker claimed he was trying to help a pigeon with bound legs.
“In our country everyone loves pigeons,” Mola told The Post.
In Bangladesh, pigeon meat, locally known as “kobutor,” is considered a delicacy. The meat is readily available through various Bangladeshi online grocery services, including Foodpanda, Shwapno, and Chaldal. Pigeon farming is a common practice in rural areas, where pigeon dishes symbolize hospitality and cultural tradition.
Following the incident, health officials inspected the cart but found no evidence of pigeons or health violations. Nevertheless, the cart received numerous complaints about unsanitary conditions and multiple one-star reviews referencing the viral video.
NYC halal food cart worker confronted by New Yorkers after a video went viral showing him catching live pigeons with his bare hands and returning to his truck. pic.twitter.com/wDp9DY5jTY
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) January 4, 2025
The incident has surfaced amid other controversies involving immigrants and animal-related incidents. During a September 2024 presidential debate, President Donald Trump stated, “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in, they’re eating the cats.”
As previously reported by The Gateway Pundit, Springfield, Ohio residents confronted city officials about alleged crimes against animals by Haitian migrants. One resident described seeing Haitians “grabbing up ducks by their necks, decapitating them, and walking off with them to eat.”
Other residents expressed concerns about how the influx of immigrants under border czar Kamala Harris has impacted their community’s resources and safety. One resident even reported witnessing Haitian immigrants allegedly butchering a cat that had been hung from a tree branch.
