Feral pigeons are exceptionally well adapted to urban life- living on ledges and in roofs of buildings traces back to their ancestors- rock doves that inhabited sea cliffs and mountainous terrains and were later used to breed domesticated pigeons that were subsequently reintroduced into the wild, the descendants of which become known as the feral pigeons of today.

Feral pigeons are highly proficient at identifying new access points in buildings. Therefore it is important to be alert to any damage that occurs to your property after any event such as strong gale winds and the like. Loose tiles, broken glass or any other chink in the armor of your property are opportunities for feral pigeons to move in.

Business consequences:

Threats to People:

• Feral pigeons are usually carriers of Chlamydophila psittaci and salmonella which causes psittacosis and salmonellosis in human beings respectively
• Transmission occurs primarily via exposure to their droppings which may also contain airborne spores of the catalyst of histoplamosis, an infectious fungal disease that can infect human beings via inhalation
• Ticks, cockroaches and rats are also associated with feral pigeon nests and come with their own risks

Threats to businesses, buildings and statues:

• Droppings cause corrosion of buildings, monuments, park benches and vehicles thereby accelerating their deterioration, increasing maintenance costs and emit a foul odour
• Refuse generated by roosting flocks, block gutters and drains giving rise to fire hazards
• Airconditioning units are at risk of damage
•  In an agricultural context, such as grain processing facilities, pigeons may feed off and potentially contaminate foods headed for human and animal consumption
• Airport pigeons pose a risk to passenger and aircraft safety as they may fly into an aircraft’s flight path, potentially getting sucked into the jets

What you can do:

• Do not feed the pigeons!
• Restrict food supply by not leaving food lying around as well as making sure the garbage on your property is properly and securely contained and removed from your premises
• Deploy appropriate bird control systems that limit or eliminate the number of nesting sites
• Encourage the presence of birds of prey- Install an Owl box in your garden or take up keeping peregrine falcons as a hobby
• Water storage such as geysers or rain water tanks must be rendered pest proof, by installing one way valve filters, to prevent pigeons and other pests from entering and contaminating the water supply and damaging equipment

Treatments:

• Bird control spikes
• Netting
• Coils
• Prisms
• Noise making devices
• Avian contraceptives are increasingly being used in urban areas and industrial sites to control pigeon populations. It is considered safe, humane, and there are no knock-on toxicity hazards to raptors or scavengers. It is also reversible and has the support of prominent animal rights groups.
• It is of the utmost importance to use accredited, professional pest control officers when attempting to implement the above measures to avoid legal and 3^rd party liability claims. Please contact us should you require assistance and we’ll walk you through from A-Z.