Ghent is once again killing pigeons to limit the nuisance the birds cause. In April, the use of gas to kill the birds was suspended. Now the animals are being killed by cervical dislocation: their necks are being broken. ‘Everything is in accordance with the rules, but we are continuing to look for more animal-friendly alternatives’, the alderman responsible says.
Ghent again catches and kills pigeons: 441 killed by cervical dislocation since May
Colin Clapson
Published:
Ghent is once again catching pigeons. Nowadays, this is done using nets and no longer using traps. The animals caught are then subsequently killed. Ghent alderman Bram Van Braeckevelt (ecologist) has now confirmed the news. Since May, 441 birds have been caught at 16 locations. ‘Ghent is working with the non-profit organisation Rato and is following the legal rules’ Van Braeckevelt says.
Ghent suspended an earlier killing operation, which involved gassing, after a police report and doubts about the legality of this control method. That was in April, when the city council also voted in favour of an evaluation and possible changes to the way pigeon control is carried out. The current method involves “cervical dislocation”, which breaks the animals' necks.
The opposition on Ghent city council has long questioned the animal-friendliness of this approach. Flemish Christian democrat councillors referred to a recommendation from the Flemish Council for Animal Welfare, which advocates contraceptive feed (i.e. a kind of ‘pigeon pill’), which is also used in other cities and municipalities.
‘New research is in full swing’
Ghent previously stated that the pigeon pill was neither desirable nor sustainable. "First and foremost, we must try to prevent the animals from reproducing by limiting their food sources. We remain committed to a feeding ban,‘ says Alderman Van Braeckevelt. ’The approach is working, with the number of reports and the scale of nuisance areas declining." The city authorities have meanwhile revised their position on the pigeon pill and are not ruling it out entirely.
‘We are continuing to work on a memorandum on the use of contraceptive feed. We are basing our approach on expert opinion and the experiences of other local authorities. The research is not yet complete. The advice from the Flemish authorities is now out of date, so we are checking on the latest status,’ the alderman noted. ‘As a city, we remain in favour of the most animal-friendly approach.