Aartselaar puts city pigeons on the pill
20/05/2021 - 16:28
The municipality is setting an animal-friendly example in the Antwerp region
Pigeon pill will halve population of city pigeons in Aartselaar town centre
The municipality of Aartselaar is the first in the Antwerp region to start a trial project to reduce the pigeon population in Aartselaar's town centre. "Pigeons often cause a nuisance. Thanks to this animal-friendly project from Vets For City Pigeons, we can reduce the population and nuisance in a responsible way. This method is also recommended by Gaia," says alderman for animal welfare Bart Lambrecht (N-VA).
Pigeon pill dispenser on roof of Aartselaar town hall
"Aartselaar still has a green village centre, with many large trees on the Laar and around the town hall. This naturally attracts pigeons, with all its consequences. Especially the paths around the town hall and the cars of the police and our staff are often affected," says alderman for animal welfare Bart Lambrecht.
"Pigeons hardly have any natural enemies here, but they do have an oversupply of food. There are methods to deal with pigeons, such as using a bird of prey, but they are not very animal-friendly. The pigeon pill is. Every morning at 7 o'clock, the dispenser will sprinkle processed corn kernels on the roof of the town hall. The pigeons are attracted and eat the grains eagerly. This makes them infertile and the population declines noticeably in a natural way. The pigeon population in Aartselaar was mapped beforehand by the vets of Vets For City Pigeons, so that we can monitor and evaluate the effect."
That evaluation can then lead to similar projects in the Aartselaar districts. "On a regular basis, reports come in about pigeon nuisance. If we can successfully reduce the population in the village centre in the coming period, the dispenser can then be moved and used there," concludes Bart Lambrecht.
