ACRES: Pigeon Cullings

From: Amy (ACRES)
To:****
Sent: Wednesday, 3 March 2010 2:02:39
Subject: Re: Rallying support for helpless birds

Hi ***,

Yes, that's fine to post it on a blog.

Best wishes,

Amy

Amy Corrigan (BSc)
Director of Education
Director of Cruelty-Free Living Campaigns
ACRES (Animal Concerns Research and Education Society)
www.acres.org.sg

91 Jalan Lekar
Singapore 698917
(O): +65 6892 9821
(F): +65 6892 9721
(HP): +65 8168 4355

To whom it may concern,

We are writing in response to a recent spate of pigeon cullings along Tanglin Halt Road. From what we understand, the culling method currently being used is poisoning, i.e. laying bait of breadcrumbs with poison inserted.
On 24th August 2009, a member of the public called the ACRES 24-hour Wildlife Crime Hotline to ask us to rescue two pigeons who were dying a slow and painful death from being poisoned. Ultimately, these two pigeons needed to be euthanised to end their suffering. This is not the first time we have had to do the humane thing and euthanise poisoned pigeons.
Aside from the fact that poisoning is inhumane and would have caused a great deal of suffering to the pigeons, witnessing the pigeons’ intense suffering would have been greatly distressing for members of the public, especially children. Indeed, the caller mentioned above was obviously in great distress watching these birds suffer.
We do understand the Town Council’s concerns regarding the pigeons, especially the cost of cleaning their droppings, and we applaud the efficiency which the Town Council has responded to some of the residents’ feedback regarding the overpopulation of the pigeons. However, there are residents who disagree with the strategy and methods used to control the pigeon population, with both the welfare of humans and animals in mind.
In this context, ACRES is deeply concerned about this inhumane pigeon culling practice and would like to emphasise the following points:
1.Culling by poisoning is potentially dangerous for pets, wild animals and even children who may consume the poisoned bait. Reports of dead bird sightings for other species, such as mynas and koels, who are suspected to have been poisoned, have been posted on online blogs and forums by concerned members of public.
2.Culling the pigeons addresses only the symptoms of the problem. To address at the root level, there is a need to question the continued presence of a large population of pigeons in spite of the culling. According to AnimalAid, U.K., “pigeons control their own numbers according to the food source available. Approximately 90% of pigeons die in their first year and the main cause of death is starvation. The mortality rate of adult pigeons is very low, typically around 11%. Therefore when culling is carried out on a pigeon population, the vacancies left by the dead birds are quickly filled by young birds. This means that killing adult pigeons in a flock discriminates in favour of young birds who would otherwise have perished. It has no long-term effect on the level of population, as it merely rejuvenates the flock.” This clearly indicates that in Singapore the large pigeon population is being maintained by large quantities of food being made available to pigeons by the public. Therefore, it is essential to educate the public to stop making food accessible to pigeons. A successful publicity campaign would result in a large reduction in the food available to pigeons and potentially impose a very effective limit to their population size.
3.Alternative and humane methods of bird population control are available. Progressive vector control agencies like the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) have approved humane methods such as the contraceptive baits (Ovocontrol) for pigeon control since 2007. (Reference: New contraceptive bait approved for pigeons, Human Wildlife Conflicts 2007, 1 (2), page 134, Human–Wildlife Conflicts 3(1):93–102, Spring 2009.)
4.Even the life-death issue of bird strikes (collisions between aircraft and birds) are being managed humanely by the bird strike committees around the world, and poisoning of birds is not considered as a method of solving this serious problem. In 1999, the Bird Strike Committee in the U.S. recognised in its proceedings at University of Nebraska, that "poisoning creates a serious environmental problem, as the entire domain, as well as other animals, can be affected by the toxic substance used. It is against our principals to use this method, and actually, it is illegal in most countries".
There are several published studies discussing humane measures to manage pigeon population in urban areas (references attached).
For instance, the Town Council can consider providing Artificial Nesting Sites. Dovecotes or nesting boxes can be constructed and installed at a low, one-off cost. Once pigeons have been encouraged to roost in these sites, their eggs can be collected regularly and destroyed. This is a simple, fast and very effective way to reduce pigeon numbers. Another advantage of dovecotes or nesting boxes is that they provide a way to move pigeon flocks away from sites where they are considered a nuisance, to sites where they will pose no problems. Designated feeding areas can then be set up for public use.
We strongly urge the Town Councils to cease the current pigeon culling operations, as they are not only cost-ineffective, requiring repeated engagement of third parties, but modern scientific research has shown that culling is completely ineffective as bird numbers can increase above pre-cull levels within weeks of the cull being carried out (Reference: Regulation of the Street Pigeon in Basel by Daniel Haag-Wackernagel. Article published in Wildlife Society Bulletin, 1995). First and foremost, we ask the Town Councils to stop the poisoning of pigeons as a matter of urgency, on humane grounds.
We would be glad to meet up with you to further discuss the issues raised, and we would welcome the opportunity to work with the Town Councils to come up with a humane, more cost-efficient and more effective method of controlling the pigeon population in Singapore on a long-term basis.