Do you have a pigeon problem at home? Here's how you can solve it once and for all!
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A pigeon infestation is a nuisance and a danger. Their constant loud screeching can be deafening when too many pigeons occupy a field. They seem to be arguing all the time and finding a moment's calm becomes a challenge. Thanks to their seemingly incessant pooping, pigeons also leave an unsightly mess everywhere. Pigeon scales from their feathers and in their nests are harmful to humans. It contains mites, lice, and other germs that can make you sick.
If you want to get rid of pigeons, you have two options: scare them off or reduce their population numbers. If you address this problem with the latter, culling pigeons with poison is possible. Here are some points to consider when intending to poison a pigeon population:
An overview
Before considering this option, ask this important question: Can you poison pigeons? near you? Many city and local authorities have regulations prohibiting poisoning of pigeons unless professional exterminators do the job. Some prohibit the practice altogether, regardless of who is doing it. In such cases, you can face fines and other penalties for attempting to poison them. You may also have trouble getting your hands on pigeon poison as it is not readily sold to the public.
Humane societies and other animal welfare organizations are gloomy about the culling of pigeons and loudly reject the poisoning of these birds. You are wondering if this is the best and only solution to a pigeon population problem that has plagued many urban areas around the world. Although they recognize that the situation is out of control in many inner cities, they refuse to advocate killing pigeons.
The potential risks of poisoning
Pigeon populations grow unabated at the expense of other bird species. These birds are so dominant that they win the competition for food, water, and other resources. The result is declining numbers among other bird species. This could be made worse if you try to poison pigeons because you cannot control which birds are consuming the substance. While you might be trying to kill some pigeons to make room for other birds, you might be killing the species you want to save.
Pigeon poison is not so sophisticated that it cannot be harmful to others who consume it. Your cat or dog could get poison, become very sick, or die. Cats are at additional risk as they can get into areas where you are applying poison, such as a roof. Pigeon poison should be kept and kept out of the reach of children as ingestion can be fatal.
Is Poisoning Effective?
The challenge in poisoning pigeons is knowing what to use and how much is required. Using the wrong product in wrong quantities will not solve your pigeon problem. You also risk some of the adverse, unintended consequences mentioned above. This should lead you to the question of whether poisoning is a good solution for exploding pigeon populations.
Experts believe that killing pigeons, whether through shooting, poisoning, or trapping, is a short-term solution to a long-term problem. Pigeons breed at an alarming rate and replace their killed counterparts with more young pigeons. Young pigeons stay with their parents for a short time before leaving the nest, preparing for reproduction, and leaving the mating pair to reproduce again. Culling pigeons does not interrupt their reproductive cycle enough to have a significant impact. In fact, many pest control specialists prefer pigeon birth control, which results in the females laying eggs that do not hatch. This approach, if used correctly, can reduce a pigeon population by more than 50% in the first year, making it a more efficient solution than culling.
Is Poisoning Human?
While pigeon poison manufacturers and proponents say the animals don't suffer after ingesting the product, it's not necessarily true. In fact, consuming insufficient venom can make the birds sick without killing them. Their suffering is great, and those who fail die a slow, agonizing death. Death is efficient and painless when a pigeon ingests enough venom, but there is no guarantee that this will happen.
Animal rights activists argue that exterminating is inhuman compared to other population control methods such as pigeon birth control. Another alternative is to capture and remove the birds. However, this is unlikely to work as pigeons are known for their remarkable homeland instinct.
Are there any benefits to poisoning?
There aren't many arguments to prove that poisoning is the best way to manage a pigeon population. Given the other options available to homeowners, it is by no means efficient and poses too many risks to other living beings. The legal implications alone should make you think.
Pigeon poisoning shouldn't be your first option in finding solutions to a pigeon infestation. The use of deterrents and other preventive measures are less invasive and often lead to far better results.
