Sanctuary Instead of Culling for 200 Limburg Pigeons

For some of the city pigeons in the German city of Limburg, a gentler solution is emerging after months of turmoil surrounding the planned culling of the animals.

The animal welfare organisation "Gut Aiderbichl" has offered to collect 200 pigeons from the city "and let them live on far away so that they do not fly back to Limburg", as the city announced.

"We will gladly accept this offer as a significantly milder alternative to culling", declared Mayor Marius Hahn (SPD). Representatives of the Limburg city pigeon project stated that they had taken note of the city's announcement and were discussing it before making a public statement.

Limburg Residents Voted in Majority for Pigeon Culling

Most recently, the majority of eligible voters in Limburg had voted in a citizens' referendum in favour of implementing a city council resolution from November of last year, under which the pigeon population was to be reduced by culling.

The issue has brought Limburg numerous negative headlines and hundreds of written submissions, the German city announced. The senders had expressed their horror, disappointment, incomprehension, and in some cases even threats. Such hostilities were repeatedly directed at Hahn himself, as well as at volunteer elected representatives and administrative staff.

New Home for Limburg Pigeons in Bavaria

The animal welfare organisation Gut Aiderbichl, which operates a number of animal sanctuaries in several European countries, offered the city to accommodate and house the 200 pigeons from Limburg at one of its home farms in Eslarn (Bavaria) in the Upper Palatinate. The city's task is to catch the pigeons and house them in a manner consistent with animal welfare standards until their transport, which is to be carried out in two or three trips.

While Gut Aiderbichl wished to cover the transport and accommodation costs for the animals, the city would have to bear the costs for catching and caring for the pigeons until transport. At the farm in Eslarn, a new building had been opened that was specially designed for species-appropriate pigeon keeping. «We are very pleased that we can now give 200 of the Limburg pigeons a ‘forever home’ here at Gut Aiderbichl», said Dieter Ehrengruber, Managing Director of Gut Aiderbichl, according to the statement.

Hahn also expressed the hope that among the many animal and pigeon protection advocates who had contacted the city since November of last year, «there are also some who may be able to take in further pigeons from Limburg as soon as possible». Some time ago, a count and extrapolation revealed that up to 700 pigeons live in Limburg. The stated goal was a population of around 300 animals, it was said. Ideally, this could be achieved without killing them.