Vermin or feathered friend? Possible cull prompts Thatcham debate

Thatcham Town Council is currently considering various solutions to deal with the pests – including employing a firm to shoot them with air rifles – after one councillor complained that he counted 100 pigeons in the town centre in one evening, and that some pavements and buildings were covered in bird faeces.
A decision is yet to be made, but there was a flurry of calls and emails to the Newbury Weekly News after the story was published three weeks ago, mainly against the cull.
Thatcham resident Colin Topliss said: “I think that other methods of (non-lethal) control should be examined. I am firmly against the idea of culling the pigeons.
“As someone who rescues injured pigeons, some that have been shot yet managed to get away and some that have been poisoned, I find it abhorrent that some people try to take this as a first option.
“It is distressing to find a bird in pain and in some cases dying a painful death.
“You’ll probably find that birds are finding less places to perch as more shop owners deploy pigeon control devices such as spikes or fire-gel. This causes more birds to perch in a smaller area, so of course the mess will build up and look more unsightly.
“Part of the problem is fast-food and part of the problem is over-feeding of the birds (intentionally or not).
“Pigeons are actually quite intelligent and will make excellent use of whatever they find in order to survive.”
Bee Wilson, of Croft Lane, Newbury, agreed that the best way to solve the problem was to sort out litter issues and said that the council’s plans for culling concerned her.
She said: “Surely it is due to the litter thrown on the ground instead of using litter bins.Litter not only spoils the look of an area but it can cause disease and encourage birds.
“What is needed is heavy fines and more litter bins, not shooting birds.”
Ellen Spain, of Thatcham, said that birds roosting up high at night would be difficult to shoot, adding: “Maybe the council could seek advice on more humane methods of deterring the birds.”
However, for the cull is Anne Davis, also of Thatcham, who said that it was not just a problem in the town centre.
“We are overrun by them in parks and gardens. They are a nuisance and a health hazard.
“It is not nice to sit in your own garden with the mess they make.
“Yes businesses should take responsibility and be accountable for takeaway rubbish, but it does not take much common sense to see that the pigeons are in masses around the whole Thatcham area.
“There should definitely be a pest control culling practice put in place as soon as possible to clean up Thatcham and make the area a pleasant, quieter and healthier place to live.”