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I reside in the Ventana Ranch community in Albuquerque, and there is a serious problem here with an overpopulation of pigeons who leave droppings everywhere.
They live on the houses; build nests, raise their young and return to their adopted homes like homing pigeons. The number of pigeons continues to grow.
It has come to my attention that there are people who actually feed the pigeons. It is bad enough that they feed pigeons, but they also put out bird food for other birds, which the pigeons also eat and grow and propagate.
The City of Albuquerque has acknowledged there is a problem with pigeons in the city. In March the City Council met to discuss making feeding pigeons against the law.
After much discussion, the council tabled it for 60 days, and the issue is still on the agenda. Unfortunately, it was discussed that homeowners who have pigeon droppings on and around their homes would be fined. That is not fair to those of us who suffer with the pigeons at the hands of residents who choose to feed the birds.
We need legislation that makes it illegal to feed the pigeons and have stiff fines for offenders before the entire Albuquerque area is inundated with them. I just hope it’s not too late.
There are many dangers of having pigeons around. Besides leaving their droppings all over that need to be cleaned up with water (and scrubbing), which causes additional problems in a drought area, they also carry serious diseases that can kill humans.
The droppings have several fungi that cause high fever, blood abnormalities, pneumonia and even death, in some cases. People with weakened immune systems are even more at risk. One fungal disease, Histoplasma capsulatum, primarily affects the lungs. This toxic substance is in pigeon droppings and can end up in the soil where pigeons are located.
With watering of flowers and yards, the toxins could also end up in our groundwater. It enters the human body through air while breathing, and a high intake may cause infection. The symptoms may be fatigue, fever, minor influenza, blood abnormalities, dry coughs and chest pains
Another fungal disease is Cryptococcosis, again severely affecting people with a compromised immune system. It begins with a lung infection and spreads throughout the body, especially the central nervous system. Other symptoms include skin eruptions and lumps just under the skin. There is not now a cost-effective strategy to be developed against this fungus.
A bacteria called Psittacosis is an infection caused by bird species’ interaction with other species including, but not limited to, parrots, pigeons and other birds. Symptoms of this infection include severe pneumonia, fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and a dry cough. Most of these infections are caused by pet infected birds.
Imagine, you, your children or your pets stepping in pigeon droppings and bringing the toxins into your home!
If a food supply remains constant, pigeons will breed four to six times annually. On the other hand, reduction in food supply may drop the number of pigeons accordingly. It may work to some effect if the city council and general people work hand in hand as a pigeon deterrent by keeping the food sources away from the pigeons.
We are now at that point that we need to all act hand in hand for pigeon removal by not feeding any outside birds, hopefully rid Ventana Ranch of these “rats with feathers” and restore safety and beauty to Ventana Ranch.
Photo Credit – JOURNAL FILE
Cutline – They may look benign, but this writer says pigeons and their droppings are hazardous to human health and well-being.
