Residents in Limburg and Hesse approve contentious pigeon euthanasia method by snapping their necks.
For several months, the city's approach to handling pigeons has been the subject of debates that have gained regional attention. In an official count conducted in early 2023, 272 pigeons were identified. Estimates suggest there are between 700 and 1,000 birds living in the city.
Last November, the city council, responding to a request from the environmental committee, voted in favour of a two-year culling program. This involved hiring a falconer to break the necks of birds in an attempt to diminish the population. The birds would be lured into a trap, made unconscious, and subsequently murdered.
The goal was to minimize the pigeon population. Not every bird would be killed. The decision was met with intense opposition from animal welfare groups and environmental activists. A petition circulated online, attracting widespread protests.
Eventually, environmental protesters gathered sufficient signatures for a citizens' initiative. Since the city council did not rescind its decision, a citizens' vote took place on Sunday. The public was asked if the council's decision should be overturned. The majority voted against it, indicating their support for killing the pigeons.
In other cities, significant pigeon populations also create problems. The approaches to tackle the issue vary. Some cities employ a birth control method, replacing real eggs with eggs made from materials like gypsum, so no new pigeons can hatch. One example is found in Frankfurt am Main.
In other cities, medications are being examined that can temporarily render pigeons sterile. This method is currently being tested in various cities in North Rhine-Westphalia, such as Hagen. However, this approach is equally contentious.
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- Despite the referendum held on Sunday, the majority of Limburg's citizens voted in favor of the city council's decision, which involves hiring a falconer to snap the necks of pigeons as part of a two-year culling program.
- The controversial pigeon euthanasia method in Limburg has sparked intense combat between animal welfare groups and environmental activists, who oppose the neck fracture of birds, and the city council, which argues it's necessary to combat the growing pigeon population.
- The European elections will take place soon, and the issue of pigeon population control is gaining attention, with citizens in other cities like Frankfurt am Main exploring alternative methods, such as using gypsum eggs to prevent new pigeons from hatching.
- In Hagen, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, scientists are studying medications that could temporarily render pigeons sterile, though this controversial approach faces the same opposition that the neck fracture method did in Limburg and Hesse.
- In light of the citizens' initiative and upcoming European elections, pro-pigeon culling citizens in Limburg may find themselves in the midst of further combat over the future of pigeon control, as they attempt to implement their preferred method despite opposition from animal rights activists and bird lovers.
