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Robots to tackle Liverpool's pigeon menaceRobots to tackle Liverpool's pigeon menace
Back to Local Government Publisher: Jon Land Published: 19/03/2007 - 10:57:14 AM print version Printable version Robotic birds of prey to tackle Liverpool's pigeon menace Robotic birds of prey are to patrol Liverpool's streets as part of a new campaign tackle pigeon 'hot spots'. Liverpool City Council is launching the initiative tomorrow which encourages people not to feed the birds and will see 'scaring' techniques introduced to the city centre. Ten robotic birds called Robops will be placed on the roof of buildings across the city, being moved to different locations at regular intervals. The mechanical birds resemble a Peregrine Falcon which is a natural predator of pigeons. To deter birds from the building they squawk very loudly and flap their wings. As a result of the scaring techniques and people not feeding the birds, it is hoped that the pigeon population will move out of the city centre and into our parks and green spaces. Liverpool city council's executive member for the environment, Councillor Berni Turner, said: "Feral pigeons are a real nuisance in the city centre, they fly up at people and they leave droppings everywhere which not only makes the city look really unattractive but can make surfaces slippery and dangerous. "We need to get the message across that anyone who feeds the birds intentionally, or occasionally with leftovers such as sausage rolls or burgers are responsible for our streets being so crowded with these birds. "It's also important for them to realise they are doing more harm than good by feeding birds this junk food - their natural diet is seeds and some insects, so other food makes them overweight and gives them a scruffy, unhealthy appearance. "We want to be able to showcase our city centre in our birthday year and of course in 2008, so it's essential we tackle this issue now and educate member of the public that if there's no food, there'll be no pigeons." A special DVD narrated by Radio Merseyside's Roger Phillips has also been produced aimed at young people which explains the problems pigeons cause in the city centre. This includes the fact that it takes the street cleansing team 88 staff hours per day to clean droppings from streets and buildings, at a cost of £160,000 a year. The city council's environmental health manager, Andy Hull, said: "Pigeons cause many problems in city centres. Their droppings clog up pipes and a concentration in one area can cause an unpleasant smell. "The key message is to stop feeding them as they will seek food elsewhere and make our city centre cleaner and more hygienic." The city's Business Improvement District team carried out a survey with local organisations to find out what they thought of the issue and 70 per cent agreed that pigeons are a real problem and should be encouraged to move out of the city centre. 
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The only explanation I can come up with is that there is insanity afoot.
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Hello pigeonperson, and thankyou for this interesting news. However be relieved that this idea is better than the usual insane ideas of the Business Improvement district Managers.
In the UK now each Town or City now has B.I.D. running things and they ALL hate pigeons. Here in Kingston we have some maniac roaming around with a air rifle shooting our piggies, all legal and with the usual BID approval. Thankfully Liverpool City's BID are taking the humane way of trying to control pigeon poulation . Robot birds, yes bring them on, madness maybe, but the piggies in Liverpool will be well relieved that they do not have to do a runner to escape a shootout!!!!! By the way Im a Liverpool lass and quite insane!!!!
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OH, I totally agree with you............they could do MUCH worse. The only concern I have is that eventually, the pigeons will realize that this "thing" is just that.........a thing.......and won't hurt them at all. Sort of like a lawnmower. Every year I get such a kick out of watching the new birds for that year completely freak out when the lawnmower drives by the loft for the first time. They only see it once a week. By the third week, they are laying in the aviary watching it and my husband go by and thinking......."ho hum.......there's that loud contraption again"........doesn't faze them at all. Once this happens, what will their next move be to rid themselves of the birds?
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 Renee www.lovebirdsloft.com People have the right to be stupid, but some abuse that privilege. For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness. If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything. Mark Twain Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them, and you have their shoes.------ Frieda Norris
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The reason I can only state that this is some form of insanity is that nobody here can think of one person who got sick from a pigeon. Yes, if a person like Cynthia is around a lot of these birds, and develops an illness from them, it's understandable because of the concentrated doses of dust she's breathing in.
Aside from situations like that, search back in your memories for one person who came down with something that could be directly related to a pigeon. What doctor told somebody you know, "Oh, this illness is because you were near a pigeon." Taxpayers, no matter where in the world they are, expect that their money is being spent on services so is it too much to be expected that sanitation workers do their jobs? First clean the streets of the filth that people leave behind them but no, don't publicize that little problem. Instead blame the cities' problem on the most peaceful and human friendliest bird that live here with us. The droppings? Let the sanitation workers clean them. It's a far better way than starving animals to death. Chase them into green suburban areas like the article stated? These birds are cliff dwellers. They can't roost in trees. They need the city structures. Diseases that are blamed on the birds like Histoplasmosis are in the soil. Yes, the same soil that youngsters are allowed to play in like the parks and then put their hands in their mouths. No, blame the bird for that. Psittacosis? At least 75% of all wild birds carry it but blame the pigeons? And who here has heard of a case of it lately and if you did, did you ever hear a doctor saying, "Oh, this illness was caused by a finch." Like the article stated, birds are getting fat and unhealthy from discarded food. They eat seed. So feed them seed. But no, feed them seed and in the UK, you'll get an Anti Social Behavior Ordinance penalty. Here, you get a ticket for littering. So who are they kidding? They want the birds annihilated and then our cities will be just perfect. Yeah, right!! I'll tell you something that won't surprise anyone here. Human beings that have a problem, will revert to the easiest answer; kill first and regret it later. Nobody learns from history. Last edited by pigeonperson; 19th March 2007 at 01:45 PM.
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__________________
Renee www.lovebirdsloft.com People have the right to be stupid, but some abuse that privilege. For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness. If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything. Mark Twain Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them, and you have their shoes.------ Frieda Norris
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Renee,
Ok, they can sit in trees but they don't nest in them.
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Robo falcons would be doing more damage than they are doing now. Pigeons are smart birds and they will figure that these guys are just robots with no threat to them. Pigeons will eventually lose fear of falcons which will lead to there death when the real falcon comes.
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uh, when do you think the word will get out:
LESS FEED, LESS BREED... *sigh*
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 ...except maybe for the survivor Cockroach!
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The new BID town and city management schemes are culling pigeons on a regular basis. I spoke to a representative of ANIMAL AID and was told they get at least two calls a day about pigeon culls every DAY in the UK. NO you are not paranoid. Also because of the BIRD FLU scares , pigeons are being blamed for that too and are definitely being targeted. Your concern is a valid one and I share it.
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Canaryjayne,
There is a lot of evidence that points in the direction of immunity from the avian flu in pigeons but they don't care because it's just another excuse to get rid of the bird.
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Exactly and all I can say to that is: whenever Im having a bad day , I think to myself, thank God Im not a pigeon because things would be alot worse!!!! Pigeons are so persecuted , yet so trusting towards the human race.
One can only admire their resilience and wonderful nature. I love piggies!!!!!
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John
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John  "Pigeons know more than we think - and think more than we know" ~ John D.
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| Tags |
| bird flu, female pigeon, feral pigeon, male pigeon, male pigeons, passenger pigeon, wild bird |
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