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Parisians fight for pigeons’ rights as mayor plans to deploy falcons

Thousands of Parisians have signed a petition to protect the capital's pigeons, after the mayor of the trendy 10th arrondissement vowed to let birds of prey loose in a bid to oust them.

Published: 2 October 2017 11:05 CEST
Parisians fight for pigeons' rights as mayor plans to deploy falcons
Rafael Antonio, Flickr

In news that may come as a surprise more than 17,000 people have put their signature to the online petition organised by pigeon supporters at the Ambassade des pigeons (Pigeon Embassy) and the bird protection charity Ligue pour la protection des oiseaux. 

It came after Remy Féraud, mayor of the 10th arrondissement’s decided to bring in two hawks and three falcons to scare off Paris’s omnipresent pigeons from the Rue du Buisson Saint-Louis area. 

The birds of prey are planned to work for the council over 10 days in October, with a demonstration of their abilities scheduled for last Saturday. 

Their particular task is to try and disperse the unusually large concentration of pigeons wreaking havoc on the roofs and window ledges of social housing complexes in the 10th arrondissement on Rue du Buisson Saint-Louis (see map below).

“We tried traditional methods and now we are doing something more radical,” a spokesman for the town hall of the 10th arrondissement told The Local last month.
 
“Paris pigeons are not used to birds of prey,” he said, which the town hall hopes will make the plan a success.

“We are very strongly opposed to the measure,” Brigitte Marquet, president of the Ambassade des pigeons, told Le Parisien newspaper. 

“It won’t solve the problem of regulating the number of pigeons in the city, but it will also be very expensive for taxpayers, and extremely cruel for the targeted birds,” she added. 

It's not the first time the capital's residents have defended an animal considered a pest by many. After the city's authorities declared war on rats late last year, some 17,000 signed a petition titled “Stop the Genocide”.

The council believes the pigeons cause up to €150,000 in damage to the social housing in the area, and also carry diseases which can be transmitted to humans such as bird flu. 

The cost of the operation is €12 800, officials said.
 
Merlyn, the firm based in the Pyrenees mountains that is providing the raptors, also supplies birds of prey to keep pigeons at bay for the annual Roland Garros tennis tournament in Paris.
 
Its says its birds all have “several years of experience” in scaring off unwanted creatures.
 
“The presence of our birds of prey causes insecurity for animal nuisances of all sorts (which will) naturally seek a safer place that is without danger,” it claims on its website.
 
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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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