City sends 5,000 pigeons packing

A SPANISH city is poised to relocate thousands of nuisance pigeons to countryside hundreds of miles away rather than have them exterminated.

Officials in Cadiz will catch 5,000 of the urban birds and transport them 500 miles to the province of Valencia in a move presented as a humane alternative to poisoning or shooting.

The city’s environment chief, Alvaro de la Fuente, said it was ‘the most respectful and sustainable method’ to control a pigeon population which currently stands at 8,000. He said the number was three to four times too large for the city, making an unhygienic mess and disturbing outdoor diners.

Antonio de María Ceballos, manager of a city tapas bar, said: ‘We have lost 20 per cent of our business to pigeons.’