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Pigeons in Hesse

Photo: Uwe Zucchi/ dpa

The number of pigeons in Limburg is to be limited by a targeted killing by breaking the neck. As a city spokesman said, the majority of the city councillors voted the evening before for this procedure, which had previously been advocated by the Limburg environmental committee.

Animal rights activists reacted indignantly to the decision. After a demonstration in front of the meeting place, around 40 people also took part in the city council meeting. Subsequently, the city councillors outside the building were sometimes insulted with exclamations such as "gang of murderers".

According to the decision, the planned action against the pigeons is to be legally reviewed. Initially, the veterinary office is responsible for this, said the city spokesman. The planned killing was also limited to two years. After that, a field report should be prepared.

Around 700 pigeons in Limburg

It is assumed that the population size of the pigeons will then be regulated to such an extent that one can get by with "birth control" in supervised pigeon houses, it said. In it, the animals are provided with food, and their clutches are removed so that no chicks can hatch. The Hessian Ministry of the Environment has also asked the city in a letter to examine this solution carefully, said the city spokesman.

The Limburg Environment Committee had previously been advised on the topic by the falconer and hunter Berthold Geis from the Limburg-Weilburg district, among others, and voted in favour of killing the animals. Geis considers the supervised pigeon lofts to be ineffective and kills city pigeons himself on behalf of municipalities and companies. He won the license for this several times in court and thus also gained nationwide fame.

If there is a call for tenders, Geis wants to apply for the contract in Limburg. In this case, the animals would be lured into a trap, where they would first be stunned with a blow to the head and then killed by breaking their necks. A census some time ago showed that there are around 700 pigeons in Limburg.

wit/dpa