More than a year of study and a sad observation. According to the association Paris Animaux Zoopolis (PAZ), which investigated the methods used by 200 municipalities in France to regulate pigeon populations on their territory, half would resort to cruel methods. In Île-de-France, Enghien-les-Bains and Sarcelles in Val-d’Oise, Boulogne-Billancourt and Asnières-sur-Seine in Hauts-de-Seine or even Étampes in Essonne were singled out by these defenders of the animal cause.
To carry out its investigation, PAZ made direct contact with the municipalities. “We wrote to them to find out what method they used,” explains Amandine Sanvisens, co-founder of the association. This is public data, so we asked them for contracts with the companies. »
Problem is, not all town halls play the game. “Some refused to answer us or played for time,” continues Amandine Sanvisens. In this case, we follow up with them and threaten them with going to the administrative court. »
Dovecotes, making it possible to limit births, “it’s a masquerade”
It is in this context that the town hall of Étampes ended up transmitting a quote drawn up by the Cappigeon company. On the document, it is stipulated that the company’s mission is to ensure “the maintenance of aviaries and capture cages” and to “manage the pigeon population with two visits per week”. The document also specifies that the capture system could, if necessary, evolve.
“These dovecotes are a masquerade,” reacts the association. They are diverted from their initial goal. Usually, they ethically limit births by shaking the eggs. It is a non-lethal method. But in Étampes, they are only used to capture pigeons. The suffering of this capture by cage is extremely violent for the birds which are stressed, which can injure themselves and even die of exhaustion, hunger, thirst, heat or cold. »
PAZ also ensures that the fate of the captured pigeons “is not specified in the administrative documents” that the town hall sent to it. “Generally, pigeon control companies kill by gassing,” concludes the association.
When contacted, the Cappigeon company did not respond to our requests. But in September 2020, when this deal with the town of Étampes was concluded, she agreed to detail her work. “To attract pigeons into the cages, specimens from my colony will be placed inside,” explained the manager. Inside, the birds will have everything they need: water, food, a perch…” Finally, he assured that his teams would come twice a week “to collect the birds and clean the cage” .
Between 70% and 80% of captured birds end up euthanized
What then happens to the captured pigeons? On this question, the manager specified that they were taken to the company’s headquarters in Val-d’Oise. There, healthy birds are separated from sick birds. “The weakest are euthanized,” he admitted. We are not eradicating the pigeon, we are simply ensuring that we have a healthier population. Healthy birds are entrusted to pigeon fanciers, game wardens or even approved trappers. » According to the company, between inbreeding and poor nutrition, between 70% and 80% of captured birds end up euthanized.
Questioned on the question, the mayor of Étampes, Franck Marlin (LR), denies resorting to cruel methods. “Years ago, we launched campaigns to scare away pigeons with hawks or hawks,” says the elected official. It’s completely painless, we couldn’t be more respectful for the animal cause. But that doesn’t solve the problem, it shifts it elsewhere. »
“The droppings are extremely toxic”
On the other end of the line, the mayor even explains that he is receiving threats. “Every week, I get yelled at by those who suffer from nuisances,” he continues. And on the other hand, I receive threats from associations that defend the animal cause. We, the elected officials, are caught in a bind. Droppings are extremely toxic. It weighs the weight of a dead donkey on the buildings. So we chose to use a specialized company. We apply natural methods. »
According to the mayor, between 6,000 and 7,000 birds were captured in two years. “We are working with her to set up aviaries to allow sterilization and regulation of eggs,” he says.
To try to regulate the pigeon population, a source of nuisance, municipalities call on specialized companies (Illustration). LP/Delphine Goldsztejn
“The town hall of Étampes must immediately abandon the pigeon capture campaigns,” implores Amandine Sanvisens, co-founder of PAZ. Pigeons are sentient beings and today there are ethical and effective methods to limit their populations. It is unacceptable to still resort to practices from another age, which are also useless in the long term. »
Surgical sterilization, a “cruel” process
Another municipality singled out by the PAZ association, Boulogne-Billancourt, is singled out for resorting to the surgical sterilization of birds. “It’s a fairly rare practice in Île-de-France,” notes Amandine Sanvisens. Once captured, the pigeons are sorted. Those who are sick are killed by gassing, the others undergo removal of the reproductive system. There is a high postoperative mortality. »
On October 5, the subject was the subject of heated debate within the municipal council. “Our colleague Emmanuelle Bonnehon (municipal councilor responsible for animal welfare) has been in contact with the PAZ association for months,” underlined the mayor, Pierre-Christophe Baguet (LR), who responded to the elected representative of opposition Pauline Rapilly Ferniot (EELV) who proposed to the town hall to abandon cruel methods or benefit from ethical solutions.
In a tirade, the mayor returned in a public session to the process put in place by the municipality. “You know very well that we don’t kill pigeons,” he explains. We have a whole system in place. You just have to be efficient and you are efficient. »
To support his point, Pierre-Christophe Baguet detailed the method used in Boulogne-Billancourt. “We call on service providers and it is veterinarians who take care of the pigeons,” he continues. We capture them with nets to prevent them from getting hurt and we put them in large cages which are between 4 and 6 m3 for transport to the place where they will be sterilized. All pigeons are anesthetized with an intramuscular injection. They are then banded and given an antibiotic. And they are released after a period of observation. All this is done very peacefully. Why are you talking about murder or assassination? »
Town halls and landlords are backtracking
With its punch operations, which can take the form of a happening as it did on September 27 in front of the town hall of Clichy (Hauts-de-Seine), PAZ has, on several occasions, convinced town halls and donors to backtrack.
Villeneuve-Saint-Georges (Val-de-Marne), June 27, 2023. Aviaries for catching pigeons have been installed on the roof of the hospital. Birds were gassed and killed there. The hospital has since removed the cages.
This was particularly the case this summer in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges (Val-de-Marne) where cages placed on the roof of the hospital center were removed a few weeks after the association’s report. The town of Sarcelles, also singled out, also reversed course and removed the 10 capture cages it had installed.
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