Toronto expands pigeon population control program

Pigeons are a constant companion for Toronto residents and tourists, strutting alongside them everywhere you turn.

To help curb their population, the City of Toronto has been providing the birds with contraceptive-laced feed at several rooftop sites.

Now, they are taking the pigeon birth-control program a step further by adding a new feeder in front of Nathan Phillips Square.

Esther Attard, Director of Toronto Animal Services called the birds a “nuisance” because of the sheer number of them.

“The excrement can be an issue, depending on how many birds there are it can pile up,” Attard told CTV News Toronto.

The feeder will be set on a timer for sunrise, that’s when the food will be dispersed to the birds. It will have a field camera attached, which will help the city make a rough estimate of the number of birds.

Attard said once the birds ingest the feed, they won’t have any “viable eggs.”

Barcelona started its population control program in 2017, and officials say they’ve seen an annual 20 to 30 per cent decrease in their pigeon population.

Toronto officials hope the strategy will aid in reining in their numbers soon.

Attard asserts how tough life can be for these birds, since they’re “domestic animals that have been abandoned” and are now “feral.” She added that it isn’t easy for pigeons to be out in the elements, and they only live for around two to three years.

According to the city, the major reason their population has thrived is because people have been feeding these birds, despite a bylaw prohibiting it.

Officials hope to see a dramatic decline in the pigeon population within a few years.