NEWS RELEASE 15 October 2008

Council corrects pigeon cull claims

Wellington City Council is still assessing the city’s pigeon situation and researching options for managing its population says Deputy Mayor Ian McKinnon.

“No final decision has been made regarding a cull of pigeons. We are aware of a perceived increase in the pigeon population, and the nuisance and health issues associated with pigeons. We are continuing our discussions with several local business owners about the best way to deal with this. We have also been discussing a potential cull with the SPCA and have reached agreement that we would run our methodology past them and they would be on-site if any cull took place.”

Deputy Mayor McKinnon said the Council will not be poisoning the pigeons nor will there be any shooting in the next fortnight.

“What we are doing is researching all possible options for humanely controlling the bird population but unfortunately birth control, an option suggested by people who oppose a cull, is not possible as the pellets are unavailable in New Zealand. We have been talking to business owners about their problems with pigeons and looking to take a coordinated approach with them.

We are talking to cafes and restaurants to raise awareness of the problem and how they can help by removing food sources and roosts themselves. The reality is that it may be very difficult to reduce pigeon numbers and keep them low.”

ENDS

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