ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, homing rock doves are among mankind's oldest domesticated birds, dating back to antiquity; and
WHEREAS, the great civilizations of Upper Egypt, Carthage and Rome made use of homing rock doves as the ultimate messengers in a communications network that allowed leaders to keep in touch across the vast reaches of their empires by utilizing the doves' speed, endurance and innate ability to find their way home over great distances in a very short time, a vastly superior alternative to slow-moving horses or caravans; and
WHEREAS, the use of rock doves as consummate messengers spread around the world, becoming the basis of an organized postal system in China; allowing Julius Reuters to utilize a line of pigeon posts to create a news service more than 150 years ago that still carries his name today; and providing reliable front line communications for American armed services during World War I and other conflicts, long before radios became commonplace; and
WHEREAS, the keeping of rock doves became a symbol of status and power among Kings, Princes and Nobles, leading to the development of unique architectural features on their homes and castles in Europe that became known as dovecotes; and
WHEREAS, in the 19th Century, Belgium breeders of these valuable birds devised a system to identify their birds with a l/8th inch brass ring on their legs, stamped with a unique number, a system still used today; and
WHEREAS, the courage, speed, endurance, intelligence and ability of these doves to quickly orient themselves were the key to their survival and success as messengers, these same qualities are cultivated today by pigeon fanciers who seek to preserve the strength, beauty and integrity of the bloodlines of these consummate messenger doves; and
WHEREAS, Chicago breeders of these pedigreed rock doves seek a lawful means to protect and keep these majestic birds at their homes in enclosures called lofts that are inspected and certified on a regular basis t...
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