Uprising after German city votes to end its pigeon population

A German town, Limburg an der Lahn, has voted to exterminate its entire pigeon population, triggering a fight between residents and animal rights activists. Residents voted in favor of slaughtering the birds earlier this month in a referendum, according to local media.

The report revealed that the legal fight against pigeons was prompted by numerous complaints about the birds’ feces. These complaints were registered by residents, restaurant owners and market vendors around the central Neumarkt square in Limburg.

On June 20, Limburg authorities said they were still considering whether to proceed with the referendum results.

The report quoted city spokesperson Johannes Laubach as saying: “There is no timeline for implementation. The resolution stipulates that there will be another comprehensive case-by-case review prior to implementation.”

Residents and business owners claimed they have been frustrated with the city’s pigeons for years.

The report adds that last year, in November, the city council decided that a falconer should be hired to kill Limburg’s pigeon population.

It stated: “The falconer will lure the birds into a trap, hit them on the head with a wooden stick to stun them, and then break their necks.”

This decision led to fierce protests from animal rights activists and a petition for signatures, after which a referendum was initiated.

In a post on remaining birds will reproduce, replenishing the population. Other German cities, such as Frankfurt, resort to a form of birth control and replace real eggs with plaster eggs to keep their pigeons under control, while the city of Hagen is testing a drug that makes the birds temporarily infertile.”

Flying mice, vermin, rats with wings – urban pigeons have a bad reputation that is difficult to shake off.

In a German city, however, pigeon-human relations took a macabre turn.

Limburg an der Lahn, in the western German state of Hesse, voted last week to exterminate… pic.twitter.com/CZ2IZoxzeo

-DW News (@dwnews) June 19, 2024

After the referendum, Limburg Mayor Marius Hahn said that citizens had decided “that the pigeon population should be reduced over the next two years by a falconer who stuns and kills animals”. On Thursday, the mayor reported that a final review of the referendum’s implementation was still pending.