Trafalgar Square Pigeons

[Peter Ward]

Hi,

Trafalgar Square's 4,000+ internationally famous semi-domestic pigeons face starvation - help is needed to prevent this. The London Mayor decided to starve out the pigeons three years ago and banned the long-established sale of pigeon food there. Campaign group Save the Trafalgar Square Pigeons (STTSP)stepped in and fed the birds themselves despite being attacked by officials, who used huge vacuuming machines to suck up feed and birds alike.

After a while, a deal was struck between the Mayor and STTSP (details on the website I'm about to mention), which has been in force for nearly a year. However, the GLA is now almost certain to pull the plug on the deal and the birds again face starvation.

The STTSP website gives background information (although has not been updated to include these new developments because things are changing daily) and I'm sure members will want to help. If so, send an email using the form on the Contact page. The URL: www.savethepigeons.org

Peter

[Feefo]

Thank you, Peter. I will make a standing order.

Apart from the damage that they do to the Trafalgar Square pigeons the GLA are setting a very poor example for other councils around the country.

I do "foot repair" on the pigeons in the flocks of my own city and find it useful to carry a seam splitter as well as scissors. It is effectively a blunt hook designed for lifting thread, and enables me to cut thread without injuring the pigeon.

Cynthia




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All beings are fond of themselves, they like pleasure, they hate pain, they shun destruction, they like life and want to live long. To all, life is dear; hence their life should be protected.

-Mahavira

[JGregg]

They suck up the pigeons, how horrible! Gah, people have no sense of decency!

[Peter Ward]

Thanks for the replies (and the standing order pledge - nice one!). Discussions are ongoing between the GLA and STTSP and we had a meeting with the Green group of London Assembly members. Keep an eye on the website for updates - and thanks for the tip on line removal which I'll forward to our expert.

Peter

Were the Greens behind it on their own or did they have to be dragged into it?

[Peter Ward]

No, they were really enthusiastic and have met with GLA reps today to press our case. They've already asked a Question of the Mayor, resulting in positive publicity. Trouble is, there are only three of them in a 25-strong assembly and support from other quarters seems limited! We'll keep at 'em, though!

Peter

[Feefo]

3 is better than none!

Have you tried making individual approaches to animal loving MPs from other parties as well (like Ann Widdecombe)?

Cynthia

[Peter Ward]

Hi Cynthia,

Sorry for the delayed reply - been away from the computer! We are trying to arrange a meeting with Tony Banks MP who is mad about pigeons and has attended publicity stunts for us on this issue in the past. We hope he will table an Early Day Motion in Parliament. If he does, we'll then send a report to all 650+ MPs asking them to sign it, which should get some good publicity.

[PidgePidge]

I am so glad someone is working on this. Please keep us posted.

[This message has been edited by PidgePidge (edited November 12, 2003).]

[Feefo]

He sounds like a very good choice...and a good man!
http://epolitix.com/sections/cca/mps/tony-banks.htm

Cynthia

[donnalr28]

I can't believe this is still going on. I remember Ray and Judy telling me about this years ago. How ridiculous? You'd think that they would have learned by now.

By the way, I used to come to this website years ago. Some of my postings are in the 2000 archive. I still have my pigeon Birdie/Chicken-noodle Boss/Zipperhead. Currently, she is watching tv in the middle of the living room floor. She's got the life. Some of her children were Darby and Sidney.

donna

Originally posted by Peter Ward:
Hi,

Trafalgar Square's 4,000+ internationally famous semi-domestic pigeons face starvation - help is needed to prevent this. The London Mayor decided to starve out the pigeons three years ago and banned the long-established sale of pigeon food there. Campaign group Save the Trafalgar Square Pigeons (STTSP)stepped in and fed the birds themselves despite being attacked by officials, who used huge vacuuming machines to suck up feed and birds alike.

After a while, a deal was struck between the Mayor and STTSP (details on the website I'm about to mention), which has been in force for nearly a year. However, the GLA is now almost certain to pull the plug on the deal and the birds again face starvation.

The STTSP website gives background information (although has not been updated to include these new developments because things are changing daily) and I'm sure members will want to help. If so, send an email using the form on the Contact page. The URL: www.savethepigeons.org

Peter

[Skyeking]

Hi Donna and welcome back to pigeons.com

I sure hope this finally gets resolved. I'm so sick of the pigeons always having to suffer because of the ignorance of people.

Glad we got a great group of people on the pigeons side.

Glad to hear your "babies" are doing fine, Donna. I have many "spoiled babies" myself.
Treesa

[Peter Ward]

We'll know more in the next few days when the official responsible for making the decision decides whether or not he will go ahead with plans to starve the pigeons out over the winter. We think the scale of our threatened campaign to protect them will maybe make him think twice - fingers crossed!

Keep checking out the website - www.savethepigeons.org. !

Peter

I can't wait to hear what happens. That Mayor Livingstone is pretty difficult.

In New York City, the City Council may consider making public animal feeding illegal. Their excuse is rats. I'll be posting about it on the Pigeon People string.

We're starting a letter-writing campaign. I hate to think what would happen to rescue if no one were able to feed pigeons.

What we really need is money for a study that shows that the pigeons eat up almost all of the food given to them and that rats get most of their food from garbage.

Al

[Peter Ward]

For those who have been following the Trafalgar Square story, hopefully the following extract from the Save the Trafalgar Square Pigeons (STTSP)newsletter (not even see by STTSP members yet!!) will keep you posted!

All the best, Peter

"After a three-month stalemate, during which the GLA was threatening to renege on our year-old-agreement to reduce Trafalgar Square’s pigeon numbers humanely, the authority has backed down and agreed – for the time being at least – to honour the deal.


STTSP delegates had been horrified to be told at the September joint STTSP/GLA meeting that the GLA would, without the approval of Tony Sainsbury or John Gurnell (the independent scientists), and despite the vociferous opposition of Clifford Warwick, a key member of the scientific team overseeing the agreement, double the rate at which food was reduced, leaving the birds with no food at all by November.

The proposed action by the GLA was a clear and flagrant breach of our agreement, under which scientific evidence that no harm is being caused to the birds must inform the rate at which the food is reduced. Clearly, this evidence-based approach is (as we and all the experts predicted from the start) taking longer than the GLA had anticipated, but an agreement is an agreement and there is no way we would sit by and allow what would have amounted to a cull by starvation.

We immediately sought and obtained a barrister’s opinion that the agreement we had with the GLA was a legally binding contract which we could enforce in the High Court if necessary.

50,000 leaflets were produced and distributed to Animal Aid, PeTA and Uncaged supporters (thank you!), calling for volunteers to help feed if the GLA refused to back down. We were stunned by the incredible response to the leaflet, a copy of which is enclosed for your information.

A meeting was organised between STTSP and representatives of the Green Party, to whom we are grateful for their full and enthusiastic support. Celebrities were put on standby to give interviews if the agreement finally broke down. Provisional publicity actions, which could have been implemented at 24 hours notice, were arranged.

Crucially, however, we continued to talk to the GLA “behind the scenes”. A meeting between a GLA representative and an STTSP delegate was particularly productive. The GLA representative was left with no doubt that only acceptance of the scientific recommendations of Clifford Warwick – that the food level should be stabilised over the winter and that the Tony Sainsbury team be required to explain deficiencies in their interim report – would prevent a mass feeding programme and a major publicity campaign. It was also at this meeting that the GLA representative first indicated that such demands may not be out of the question and at which agreement again looked potentially viable.

Meanwhile, we carefully monitored the feed levels being given to the birds to ensure that the threatened reduction did not take place. It didn’t. We waited.

In early December, the GLA finally raised the concerns Clifford had raised over the deficiencies in the Sainsbury team’s methodology and interim findings with the scientists. The authority has sent us Sainsbury et al’s responses, along with an assurance that the food will be stabilised until March to give all parties time to study the response and Sainsbury’s full report, which is due in January. STTSP and the GLA will meet again in February.

The last meeting of the STTSP Committee voted unanimously to accept this offer and to reserve judgement as to our next course of action until we see the outcome of the February meeting.

The irony, which the GLA would be very foolish not to recognise, is that this whole episode has left us in a far stronger position than we were in before – hundreds of new supporters have been added to our mailing list (you may be reading this as a result of the mass leafleting we referred to earlier) and we are in a better position financially and in terms of volunteers, to feed the birds if the GLA again, unwisely, attempts to pull the plug on the deal.

The vital lesson here is that the GLA’s climbdown was achieved thanks to all your protests, but also by ensuring we continued to meet with them and maintain positive dialogue even when things got difficult, responsing – as in all successful negotiations – to conciliatory gestures as well as ensuring our message, that we will not tolerate suffering, remained undiluted and was never in any doubt. Thanks to everyone who put pressure on the GLA and to Animal Aid for their active support.