Limburg city council voted to kill pigeons by breaking their necks in November. Animal rights activists collected enough signatures for a citizens' initiative.
The referendum is scheduled for the day of the European and district elections on June 9th. In order to overturn the city council's decision, a majority would have to be at least 25 percent of those eligible to vote in Limburg. The Limburg City Pigeon Project campaigns for birth control in supervised pigeon lofts. The animals are provided with food and their clutches are removed so that no chicks can hatch.