Animal rights activists call for long-term solution for urban pigeons

Animals - Animal rights activists call for long-term solution for urban pigeons

Plans for relocating around 200 pigeons from Limburg to a sanctuary in Bavaria are not sufficient from the perspective of animal welfare activists. Originally, the Limburg pigeon population was supposed to be culled, but the city now favors housing the birds instead. However, just removing the pigeons from the city is not enough, as the German Animal Welfare Federation pointed out. The number of birds will be reduced temporarily but will soon increase again.

Animal Welfare Federation Demands Egg Exchange

The city sees the German Animal Welfare Federation's stance as an ongoing responsibility to establish pigeon management through egg exchange. This is the only humane and sustainable solution for humans and animals, according to the organization. In this method, the eggs of pigeons are taken and replaced with dummy eggs.

"At the same time, we must also consider the chicks of the captured birds, as they will be left alone in their nests without their parents and will suffer and perish from hunger and thirst," the Animal Welfare Federation stated. It is also not acceptable for cities to leave their unwanted pigeons with animal and pigeon shelters while they absolve themselves of responsibility.

Additionally, the captured pigeons must spend the rest of their lives in an aviary. The Animal Welfare Federation also renewed its offer to support the city of Limburg in establishing a pigeon concept.

Majority of Limburgers Voted for Pigeon Culling

Plans for culling the pigeon population in Limburg have been a topic of discussion for months. In a citizen vote, the Limburg electorate had expressed a majority in favor of implementing a corresponding city council resolution.

However, the city announced on Monday that the animal welfare association Gut Aiderbichl had offered to take in and house 200 pigeons from Limburg on one of their farms in the Upper Palatinate region of Bavaria. "We will gladly accept this offer as a significantly milder alternative to culling," Limburg's mayor Marius Hahn (SPD) stated.

1. Despite the proposal to relocate 200 pigeons from Limburg to a sanctuary in Bavaria, concerns regarding animal welfare persist in Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia, both being part of Germany.
2. The Animal Welfare Association in Bonn, supporting animal rights activists, argued against the relocation, stating it as a temporary solution that would inevitably lead to an increase in the pigeon population.
3. The relocation plan also raises concerns about the welfare of the chicks of the captured pigeons, as they will be left alone in their nests, potentially suffering from hunger and thirst.
4. In a bid to create a humane and sustainable pigeon management solution, the German Animal Welfare Federation advocates for an egg exchange method, replacing the real eggs with dummy eggs in the pigeon's nests.
5. The city of Limburg, in collaboration with the German Animal Welfare Federation, is exploring the possibility of establishing a pigeon concept that caters to the needs of both the city and the pigeons.
6. Controversy over the pigeon population in Limburg has been ongoing, as the city's majority voted in favor of pigeon culling in a citizen vote, but the proposal for relocation or egg exchange now seems to be gaining traction.

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