Anti-pigeon movement takes flight, wants bread
Cities in Europe are discussing methods for reducing their pigeon populations.
Scientists, city officials and animal welfare activists met in the western German city of Essen on Tuesday for Germany’s first Town Pigeon Conference to discuss how to deal with the growing pigeon population which is expected to rise by around 50 million to up to 400 million worldwide in the next 10 years as a result of growing urbanization.
There are around one million of them in New York, and Venice has the highest pigeon density with an estimated three birds per human inhabitant. In most big European towns, there is around one pigeon for every 20 citizens.
What are the risks?
[T]he birds can and do spread diseases, allergies and parasites to humans. Haag-Wackernagel says many everyday illnesses including allergies can be attributed to human proximity to the birds which carry salmonella, lung illnesses, fleas, ticks and a host of other ailments — something to think about when surrounded by flapping pigeons in town squares or outdoor cafes.
How do we get rid of them?
“Killing makes no sense at all,” says Haag-Wackernagel. “The birds have an enormous reproduction capacity and they’ll just come back. There is a linear relationship between the bird population and the amount of food available.” A pair of pigeons can produce up to 12 fledglings per year.
“The best way to reduce the population is not to feed them. People say it’s cruel to deprive them of food but in the wild the sudden absence of food is a completely natural occurrence and animals adapt to it.”
Photograph by Pensiero.
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