Shooting Sliema’s Pigeons Called ‘A Necessary Evil’
Photo: Facebook
Sliema’s mayor has stood firm in the face of angry Facebook comments over the town’s regular pigeon cull, arguing shooting down the birds is the only solution for a major problem in his locality.
“Many residents are concerned about pigeon droppings and that pigeons could cause lung diseases,” Anthony Chircop said. “This morning alone, three people approached me in the street to urge the council to clamp down on the problem. We don’t enjoy shooting down pigeons, but we’ve exhausted all other options and this is the only method which works. It’s a necessary evil.”
A recent Facebook post criticising the shooting of pigeons in St Anne’s Square, Sliema, in the early morning brought out a wave of condemnation from animal lovers.
“Look how backwards we are, do the authorities think this is the appropriate way to educate our up and coming generation, does this not show total disrespect towards life, especially when there are other methods to solve the issue,” one user said.
“How horrible, there must be a more civilised way of doing this,” another commented.
However, Chircop said the Sliema council has already tried all options, including placing contraceptive pills in birdseed and bringing in falcons to kill them naturally. However, the only effective method so far has been the traditional practice of getting men to shoot them down with air rifles in the early hours of the morning every few weeks.
“When the government and the Birgu local council agreed to abandon a planned pigeon cull a few months ago so as to study alternative methods, we told them we would agree to try out any solution we haven’t tried and tested before,” he said. “So far we haven’t heard anything from their end.”
He said the cull is carried out with utmost care, with police officers and sweepers accompanying the shooters, the latter to pick up dead birds from the street.
Indeed, he said dead pigeons seen on the streets of Sliema are unlikely to be leftovers from the culls but rather pigeons who would have died from natural causes or who would have consumed poison left by residents on their rooftops.
Are pigeon culls a necessary evil or a barbaric practice? Let us know on Facebook or in the comments section
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