A region known as Limburg - Urban pigeons' fate lies in the hands of citizens.
In the city of Limburg, residents have the chance to weigh in on both the upcoming European and district elections this Sunday (starting at 8:00 am) and the fate of their beloved city pigeons. With a total of 26,647 eligible citizens, the importance of their voices being heard in this vote is significant.
Prior to this, the city council made a decision in November of the previous year that called for hiring a falconer to handle the so-called "pigeon problem." This controversial decision entailed the potentially gruesome act of breaking the birds' necks. At that time, an estimated 700 pigeons resided within the city limits.
The council's decision sparked outrage from animal rights advocates and sparked a nationwide response. A petition drive led by these activists gathered enough signatures to initiate a referendum, with the goal of overturning the planned killing. The city council subsequently agreed to hold a citizens' referendum in which participants would determine whether to reverse or approve the council's original decision.
If animal welfare supporters can secure the most votes in favor of this measure, they will have prevailed. However, for this majority to be considered valid, it must also constitute at least 25% of the city's eligible population, which equates to 6,662 votes. Should this threshold not be met by either side - yes or no votes - the city council will ultimately decide on the issue.
