Pigeon feeding frenzy results in prosecution
An Auckland woman has been ordered to pay $700 to help clean up poo left by a flock of pigeons she fed for four years.
The woman appeared in the Auckland District Court on June 6 this year, charged with breaching both the property maintenance and public nuisance bylaw 2015.
Stuff has decided not to name the woman to protect the identity of her neighbours, who laid complaints against her, and were granted name suppression by the court.
The court heard that about four years ago, the woman began feeding birds on her central Auckland property.
Several neighbours began filing complaints after pigeon numbers on the property swelled out of control.
One Auckland Council inspector said that more than 50 pigeons were on the property when they visited the site. The woman sprinkled bird seeds on the ground and had feeders dispensing seeds.
In November 2015 she was sent
‘‘Pigeon excrement offers a substrate for the growth of microorganisms that can add to the discolouring effect on buildings’’
a notice from Auckland Council that said the volume of pigeon droppings was a health issue.
The bird poo was damaging private properties and vehicles and the birds were creating a general nuisance.
The pigeon droppings had got into the spouting of one neighbouring property, resulting in plants growing and blocking their water flow, the court heard.
Aside from the volume of droppings, neighbours’ complaints also outlined the noise of fluttering and wing-slapping as another major nuisance.
One person said they had a young child whose sleep pattern had been impacted by the excessive noise created by the birds.
The woman said that her intention was to feed sparrows however, Judge Ajit Singh found that evidence to not be credible or reliable. She received a sentence of reparation and was ordered to pay $700.
The bylaw states that a person must not allow the active feeding of any wild or feral animal on any private property in a manner that causes a nuisance.
From 2014 to June 2017, council spent more than $14,000 responding to 64 call outs specifically related to pigeon droppings.