Animal welfare activists have complained to Wimbledon organisers and the police over the culling of pigeons. Is it against the law for marksmen to take out the feral birds?
Animal welfare activists have complained to Wimbledon organisers and the police over the culling of pigeons. Is it against the law for marksmen to take out the feral birds?
Pigeons get a rough ride. Vilified as "rats with wings," rock doves - as they are properly known - are the bird the British love to hate.
Pigeons get a rough ride. Vilified as "rats with wings," rock doves - as they are properly known - are the bird the British love to hate.
Common complaints range from well-aimed droppings to dive-bombing. After some tennis players complained of the latter, the All England Club called in marksmen with rifles to disperse the birds ahead of the Wimbledon tournament. THE ANSWER Even feral pigeons are protectedBut pest control is legal once non-lethal methods exhaustedExperts advise more humane methods of population control
Common complaints range from well-aimed droppings to dive-bombing. After some tennis players complained of the latter, the All England Club called in marksmen with rifles to disperse the birds ahead of the Wimbledon tournament. THE ANSWER Even feral pigeons are protectedBut pest control is legal once non-lethal methods exhaustedExperts advise more humane methods of population control
Now People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has gone to the police, claiming infringement of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Vice-president Bruce Friedrich says shooting pigeons is not just cruel, but illegal.
Now People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has gone to the police, claiming infringement of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Vice-president Bruce Friedrich says shooting pigeons is not just cruel, but illegal.
Although the act protects the pigeon as it is "of a kind which is commonly domesticated in the British Islands", legitimate pest control is not regarded as causing unnecessary suffering, says a spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Although the act protects the pigeon as it is "of a kind which is commonly domesticated in the British Islands", legitimate pest control is not regarded as causing unnecessary suffering, says a spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
And the Metropolitan Police plans to take no further action.
And the Metropolitan Police plans to take no further action.
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 states that it is an offence to kill any bird - including pigeons - unless a licence is held, but section one allows exemption if an organisation or individual complies with general licence regulations. WHO, WHAT, WHY? A regular feature in the BBC News Magazine - aiming to answer some of the questions behind the headlines
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 states that it is an offence to kill any bird - including pigeons - unless a licence is held, but section one allows exemption if an organisation or individual complies with general licence regulations. WHO, WHAT, WHY? A regular feature in the BBC News Magazine - aiming to answer some of the questions behind the headlines
"This would require a specific public health risk to be identified and other non-lethal methods to be used to disperse the birds before taking the decision to shoot them," a Met Police spokeswoman says.
"This would require a specific public health risk to be identified and other non-lethal methods to be used to disperse the birds before taking the decision to shoot them," a Met Police spokeswoman says.
The All England Club says it shot the birds as a last resort, and the birds posed a health and safety risk to players.
The All England Club says it shot the birds as a last resort, and the birds posed a health and safety risk to players.
Humane control
Humane control
Non-lethal methods recommended by the Pigeon Control Advisory Service, an independent bird control consultancy, involve population control. Hawks are used by the All England Club and in Trafalgar Square
Non-lethal methods recommended by the Pigeon Control Advisory Service, an independent bird control consultancy, involve population control. Hawks are used by the All England Club and in Trafalgar Square
Methods include pigeon lofts - large nesting boxes from which eggs can be removed - or egg oiling, which deprives fertilised eggs of oxygen and prevents baby birds developing and hatching.
Methods include pigeon lofts - large nesting boxes from which eggs can be removed - or egg oiling, which deprives fertilised eggs of oxygen and prevents baby birds developing and hatching.
Once such methods have been exhausted, killing the birds is allowed under the general licence exemption or individuals can apply to Natural England for a licence.
Once such methods have been exhausted, killing the birds is allowed under the general licence exemption or individuals can apply to Natural England for a licence.
Prosecutions under the wildlife act are rare, and the punishment tends to be a fine.
Prosecutions under the wildlife act are rare, and the punishment tends to be a fine.
The Clash's Paul Simonon and Topper Headon were prosecuted for shooting pigeons with an air rifle in 1978, but the pair were done for criminal damage as the dead birds were privately owned racing pigeons.
The Clash's Paul Simonon and Topper Headon were prosecuted for shooting pigeons with an air rifle in 1978, but the pair were done for criminal damage as the dead birds were privately owned racing pigeons.
So feral pigeons can legally be shot. But here's the rub - the dip in numbers is only temporary. PIGEON FACTS About 18 million feral pigeons in the UKBreed up to six times a yearPair for life, and both parents care for youngFrench, Swiss, Israeli and Chinese armies still use homing pigeonsLongest recorded flight took 55 days and covered 7,000 miles
So feral pigeons can legally be shot. But here's the rub - the dip in numbers is only temporary. PIGEON FACTS About 18 million feral pigeons in the UKBreed up to six times a yearPair for life, and both parents care for youngLongest recorded flight took 55 days and covered 7,000 miles
Picas director Emma Haskall says that killing adult pigeons favours younger birds in the feeding flock that would otherwise have a poorer chance of survival, so numbers are back to pre-cull figures within six to eight weeks.
Picas director Emma Haskall says that killing adult pigeons favours younger birds in the feeding flock that would otherwise have a poorer chance of survival, so numbers are back to pre-cull figures within six to eight weeks.
She adds that pest control contractors recommend shooting because it is highly profitable: "They want rolling contracts."
She adds that pest control contractors recommend shooting because it is highly profitable: "They want rolling contracts."
Nor does she rate other lethal measures such as poison bait, cage-traps and using birds of prey such as hawks - a method favoured by Wimbledon organisers and the former London mayor Ken Livingstone, who faced off against angry activists in the Trafalgar Square pigeon crackdown of 2003.
Nor does she rate other lethal measures such as poison bait, cage-traps and using birds of prey such as hawks - a method favoured by Wimbledon organisers and the former London mayor Ken Livingstone, who faced off against angry activists in the Trafalgar Square pigeon crackdown of 2003.
Despite his efforts, the "flying rats" remain a fixture in square, a draw for pigeon fanciers and tourists keen to indulge their Mary Poppins fantasies.
But the "flying rats" remain a fixture, a draw for pigeon fanciers and tourists keen to indulge their Mary Poppins fantasies.
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