A small town in western Germany has sparked controversy by voting to cull its pigeon population. This decision coincided with the EU elections, and has ignited a debate over animal rights and urban wildlife management.
The referendum in Limburg an der Lahn on June 9 saw a narrow majority, with 53% of voters supporting the cull, amounting to 7,530 votes. The plan involves hiring a falconer to reduce the town's pigeon population, which stands at around 700. The method, as outlined by the town council, involves trapping the pigeons, stunning them with a wooden stick, and then breaking their necks.
"Today's result was unpredictable for us. The citizens have made use of their right and decided that the animals should be reduced by a falconer," said Limburg’s mayor, Marius Hahn, speaking to Der Spiegel.
An American study published in April 2019 titled “Ecology of Feral Pigeons: Population Monitoring, Resource Selection, and Management Practices,” cited that annually in the US, “pigeons cause approximately 1.1 billion dollars in environmental and infrastructural damage.”
The study found that, “pigeons residing in cities that are surrounded by agriculture often steal grain from nearby silos with one such warehouse losing three tons of grain a week due to pigeon theft.”
Activists argue that the cull is not only inhumane, but also ineffective in controlling pigeon populations. Critics point to historical examples where culling pigeons did not yield long-term population control. In Basel, Switzerland, despite killing approximately 100,000 pigeons annually between 1961 and 1985, the pigeon population remained stable.
This led to the development of the 'Basel model', which reduced pigeon numbers by discouraging feeding and managing egg removal through pigeon lofts. Basel saw a 50% reduction in its pigeon population within four years by implementing these measures.
Euronews reported that “several European cities have adopted non-lethal methods to manage pigeon populations. Augsburg in Bavaria employs a system where animal welfare organisations oversee pigeon lofts and replace new eggs with dummies to control numbers.”
In the UK, the use of birds of prey to control pigeon populations has been employed, although this can lead to the unsightly problem of pigeon carcasses.
Invasives South Africa lists feral pigeons as an invasive species introduced to South Africa by European settlers in the 1800s.
“Several traits have allowed feral flocks to increase in numbers and dominate the urban landscape due to the availability of food, fresh water and secure breeding sites. They carry a number of potential diseases such as salmonella, tuberculosis and ornithosis,” the organisation said on its website.
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