A sentence that surprisingly many people say with great confidence – and astonishingly little knowledge.
No.
Feeding pigeons is not prohibited everywhere. If such regulations exist at all, they are determined by cities and municipalities. They vary, are often contradictory, and frequently politically motivated. In any case, this is not something “natural” or universally given.
And yet, there are people who actively demand feeding bans.
In doing so, one essential fact is often overlooked:
Urban pigeons are abandoned (feral) domestic animals.
They were bred by humans, used by humans, made dependent on humans – and then left to fend for themselves.
A general ban on feeding animals that humans first domesticated and then abandoned is not justifiable from an animal welfare perspective. From an animal rights standpoint, such bans should not exist at all.
If such bans do exist, they are purely constitutional or administrative measures.
It is an absurdity that some people apparently try to “beautify”.
Another persistent myth is that pigeons are garbage eaters, omnivores.
They are not.
Pigeons are granivores. Their digestive system is adapted to seeds and grains.
If fed appropriately, they are healthier. And yes – even their droppings are different.
At the same time, people complain about dirt on balconies or cars,
as if there weren’t countless other birds out there leaving traces too.
Blackbirds, sparrows, crows, seagulls – yet only the pigeon becomes the target of projection.
The absurdity becomes even clearer when you look around:
almost every city lawn is covered with dog droppings. Larger, smellier, and far more problematic from a hygiene perspective.
And yet: dogs are accepted.
What many forget:
pigeons once belonged too.
For centuries – as domestic animals, messengers, companions bred by humans.
And something else is often pushed aside:
nature existed before the city.
Animals inhabited these spaces long before they were covered in concrete, asphalt, and glass.
The city is not an exclusively human space into which animals “intrude”.
It is a space we built within already existing habitats. Not to mention the fact that humans domesticated pigeons in the first place.
To complain today about a pigeon cooing or simply being visible,
while construction noise, glaring lights, and constant urban noise are considered normal,
is quite the paradox.
I experience this very directly on a grassy area near my home.
When I feed responsibly there – a handful or two of grains, nothing left behind – one would think there is no conflict.
And yet, sometimes it’s enough for someone to step to the window.
The flock panics and flies away.
As if being seen alone were already a punishment.
Sometimes it feels like being taken back to another time.
Curtains move. Glances from behind.
An atmosphere of distrust, of silent surveillance.
Disturbing. Truly.
And then – very quietly – there is also the opposite.
Recently, an older gentleman came by with a small transparent bag of grains.
Calm. Natural. Without drama.
A friend of pigeons. I was so happy to see him! I immediately thanked him.
Sometimes, it only takes one person to show:
there is another way.
Text: Leela la Loona
Photo: DonCha
