New York, NY – Safe pigeon-feeding zones” may be designated around the city as part of the negotiations between animal rights groups and the Brooklyn city councilman who has proposed fining pigeon feeders as much as $1,000 as strategy to control New York’s pigeon population.
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Fines, which had been used successfully in Basel, Switzerland, to limit pigeon proliferation, were the most concrete proposal in a pigeon report issued by Councilman Simcha Felder’s office in November. Other ideas in the report included pigeon birth control and a pigeon czar.
But the report and the proposed fines brought out a number of pigeon proponents who defended the urban birds’ rights to co-exist with humans in New York’s sprawl. Since November, Mr. Felder’s office has been meeting with a number of groups over the fine-for-feeding legislation. In December, at one of those meetings, the Humane Society brought up the idea of safe pigeon-feeding zones with Mr. Felder’s office.
“If our idea was, there are too many pigeons around where people are walking, waiting for the subway, sitting in parks, etc.,” said Eric Kuo, a spokesman for Mr. Felder. “Someone brought up, if there are areas where people are not around, what’s the harm of allowing feeding there?”
The pigeon-friendly zones could include less-densely trafficked areas in Central Park and Prospect Park, Mr. Kuo said. The City Council’s lawyers who draft legislation have been asked to see if such a plan is feasible. [nytimescityblog]
Banning people from interacting with animals will only create callousness toward those animals. How long before cities are engaged in extermination campaigns against local wildlife such as songbirds and squirrels because they “might bite a child” or some such crap?
Maybe we can move all the pigeon feeding zones to New Jersey. It could only help.
how about adding birth control to the pigeon feed?
Why doesn’t simcha go after the dog poop?Ever step in dog poop and not realize it until your boss asks what is that smell?
Simcha, if your reading this PLEASE go after the dog owners who let their dogs poop all over boro park and not clean it up. Stepping in dog poop is harder to clean than bird droppings. Bird droppings on a car–you go to a car wash but if you step in dog poop you smell for a week!
Cynthia
I think this is an excellent idea. Pigeons carry germs and are, pardon me, disgusting – especially when you have to walk under them and between them constantly. So I applaud this idea, all those yelling about the mitzvah of feeding the birds (that they thought they’d be deprived of) now have an option of going to designated placed to feed your birds and get your heads/hats/wigs decorated.
If you have an issue about the park, take that up with Mr. Felder, but that does not have any relevance here.
The park looked wonderful in the fall, glorious colors, lots of trees. I am sure we will be pleased with the end result.
Does anyone else find the amount of time and energy being devoted to this to be absurd?
we can make 18th ave park a pigeon feeding area. It seems that it will never open to people. I guess simcha felder is to busy making sure construction continues next to Shoprite than to check on our parks. Simcha if the park was in a syrian neighborhood i bet you would have taken care of it!