Stop using birds in your gender reveal ceremonies, wildlife experts say
This is just one of several gender reveals in recent years showing a disregard for the wellbeing of nature and the environment.
Wildlife experts are once again reminding the public to refrain from releasing domesticated doves or pigeons, often dyed blue or pink, during gender reveal ceremonies.
On August 6, Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge, located in Nanticoke, Ont., posted a PSA to its Facebook page after retrieving a dove that had been dyed pink, presumably from a gender reveal party.
“It baffles me how people can do a gender reveal using living animals and feel good about themselves,” reads the post.
“These poor doves get dyed pink or blue and released. Unfortunately, they are domestic animals who have no clue what to do or how to survive after their first flight in freedom.”
Advocates say the birds’ bright white colour can make them easy targets for predators, while dyeing them an unnatural colour can make them even more conspicuous.
Because the animals have been bred in a domestic setting, they can also be more vulnerable when placed in unfamiliar environments, advocates say.
(Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge/ Facebook)
July bird reveal sparks backlash
This isn’t the first “bird reveal” to garner attention this summer.
Back in July, a family of social media influencers in Arizona dyed pigeons blue and released them during their gender reveal ceremony, sparking backlash.
The birds were spotted by kayakers and eventually brought to an animal rescue. Rehabilitators attempted to wash the dye off the birds several times but were unsuccessful, Arizona’s Family reports.
They were eventually returned to the business owner, who confirmed to the outlet they would no longer offer dyed birds for release. According to the business owner, the pigeons resumed eating and behaving normally once they were returned.
The family that commissioned the pigeons has apologized and deleted posts relating to the gender reveal so that others may not be influenced to try something similar.
Speaking with Arizona’s Family, Jill Patt, medical director of Little Critters Veterinary Hospital, said the dye could put the birds at risk beyond simply making them more visible to predators.
According to Patt, birds communicate through their feather patterns and colouring, and that birds have air sacs distributed throughout their bodies that could become compromised if covered in dye.
What does Canadian law say?
While it’s hard to say if people in Canada would face fines for dyeing birds and releasing them during a gender reveal, there are several laws protecting animals and wildlife.
Ontario’s Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, 2019(PAWS Act), for example, prohibits causing or permitting an animal to be in distress and prohibits imposing an undue risk of distress on an animal.
Whether a bird release would meet that threshold would likely depend on the circumstances.
Other federal protections can also apply to certain species wild birds. In national parks, activities that disturb wildlife or violate park regulations can result in fines of up to $25,000 under the Canada National Parks Act.
Experts plead with the public to respect nature during gender reveals
Bird releases are just one example of gender reveal parties showing a flagrant disregard for nature and the environment in recent years.
On January 31, Parks Canada launched an investigation after confetti and pink dye were left behind on Lake Louise in Alberta.
The parties responsible face up to $25,000 in fines, park officials say.
A portion of the trash left behind following a January 31 Lake Louise gender reveal. (Reddit)
RELATED: Lake Louise gender reveal sparks outcry
2020 gender reveal sparks enormous wildfire, killing one person
In September 2020 Angela Renee Jimenez and Refugio Manuel Jimenez Jr. ignited a nearly 9,000-hectare wildfire that forced the evacuation of 50,000 people after attempting to use a “smoke-generating pyrotechnic device” during a gender reveal party in San Bernardino County.
One firefighter was killed and two others were injured while attempting to extinguish the disaster, which became known as the El Dorado Fire.
In 2024, Refugio Manuel Jimenez Jr. was sentenced to 365 days in county jail, two years of felony probation and 200 hours of community service. Angelina Jimenez was sentenced to one year of summary probation and 400 hours of community service.
The couple was also ordered to pay $1,789,972 in restitution to victims of the fire they started.