To: BART Management and the BART Board of Directors

We respectfully urge BART leadership and the Board of Directors to listen to concerned riders and community members and take immediate action to address pigeons becoming trapped in trackside netting at San Leandro, Rockridge, Fruitvale, and potentially other BART stations.

This issue has been reported repeatedly to stationmasters, maintenance staff, BART’s online complaint portals, the Board of Directors by email, and BART’s social media accounts, yet these efforts have received no meaningful response or resolution. In some instances, stationmasters have even asked people to stop reporting the issue to them because they cannot do anything about it. We have also contacted local firefighters for help, but they have been unable to assist. Concerned community members have exhausted multiple avenues trying to get help for these animals, and we are asking BART leadership to finally take responsibility and intervene.

Pigeons are being left trapped in netting, unable to escape, and potentially suffering for days without food or water. This is a heartbreaking and preventable way for any living creature to suffer and die. When birds perish, their bodies are left visible to passing passengers, creating a distressing and unsanitary situation for riders and further highlighting the consequences of inaction.

If BART installs netting as part of its station infrastructure, it also has a responsibility to ensure that the netting is properly maintained, regularly inspected, and monitored so that animals do not become trapped and suffer. Preventing birds from entering an area is not an effective solution if the netting itself becomes a deadly trap.

We are asking BART to:

Conduct an immediate inspection of trackside netting at San Leandro, Rockridge, Fruitvale, and other affected stations.
Establish a humane rescue process for trapped or injured birds.
Implement regular inspections and monitoring to prevent future entrapment.
Repair, modify, or replace netting where necessary to prevent animals from becoming trapped.
Establish a clear reporting and response process so that concerned riders know their reports are being taken seriously and addressed.
We understand that BART staff may have limitations in what they can do individually. That is precisely why we are appealing to the people with the authority to make systemic changes. Riders should not have to repeatedly report animals suffering in plain sight without receiving a response, and station staff should not be left without the resources or procedures to address the problem.

Pigeons are living creatures, and their suffering matters. We are not asking BART to abandon its responsibility to maintain safe, clean stations. We are asking BART to fulfill that responsibility humanely and ensure that its infrastructure does not cause preventable suffering.

Please listen to the community. Please investigate this issue. Please take responsibility and implement a lasting solution before more birds suffer and die.