Griffin Pipe fined for pigeon shooting
By: Vanessa S. Holt
FLORENCE Griffin Pipe Products Co. pleaded guilty last week to eight counts of animal cruelty for shooting pigeons on company property in April and was fined $2,256, said a municipal court official.
Charges were brought against the West Front Street company by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) after the shootings that occurred at 2:15 p.m. on April 5, said SPCA Sgt. Carl Galioto. One bird was killed and another was injured, he said.
Sgt. Galioto said two employees used BB guns to shoot at eight birds. The case was heard by Judge Roger Main in Municipal Court on May 7.
Sgt. Galioto said the fine issued last week included $250 for each violation plus court costs.
"The company had a pigeon problem," he said.
Under the civil statute, animal cruelty includes torturing, tormenting or killing an animal. Shooting the pigeons is not viewed by the SPCA as a legitimate way to address the problem, said Sgt. Galioto.
"They could call up a regular pest control expert and be within the confines of the law," he said. "This was just killing for pest removal."
Two employees were initially charged but the company accepted responsibility for their actions and charges against the two men were dropped, said Sgt. Galioto.
"They saw that they were more at fault by not handling the situation properly," Sgt. Galioto said of the company’s action. Another employee at the company reported the incident, he said.
"This is the first time we’ve had a complaint about this company," said Sgt. Galioto.
Griffin Pipe Products Co. is a division of Amsted Industries Inc. of Chicago. Calls to Griffin Pipe were directed to Amsted attorney Tom Peterman, who could not be reached for comment.
Griffin Pipe was America’s first manufacturing plant for iron pipes and has been in operation for almost 200 years.

