Illegal Trap: Sparrowhawk Caught by Pigeon Breeder

Caught in an illegal trap: A pigeon breeder from the Bad Segeberg district installed a bird of prey trap next to the rubbish bins outside his home in mid-March.

Sparrowhawk in the Trap

A dead pigeon was used as bait. Just a few days later, on 19 March, the trap snapped shut on a sparrowhawk. What happened to the captured bird afterwards remains unclear. Eyewitnesses called the police, who apparently did not seize the trap: reportedly, the pigeon breeder told police that he had released the bird of prey at some distance away. At the end of March, PETA filed a criminal complaint with the Kiel public prosecutor's office against the man, on suspicion of violating the Federal Nature Conservation Act and the Animal Protection Act. The animal rights organisation is also calling for a general ban on pigeon racing and pigeon breeding.

Birds of prey are strictly protected and may not be caught. In the homemade snap trap, the sparrowhawk was wedged between two grilles and likely injured in the process. Pigeon breeders are also not known for releasing illegally caught birds of prey. We assume the animal was killed.

Peter Höffken, specialist consultant at PETA

The incident is not an isolated case. Since 2010, at least 40 cases of illegal bird of prey persecution involving 53 victims have been reported in Schleswig-Holstein. Those affected included white-tailed eagles, goshawks, and buzzards. As recently as the summer of 2019, very rare red kites were poisoned in the Segeberg district of northern Germany.

Pigeon Breeders vs. Birds of Prey

Illegal killings of birds of prey occur repeatedly in Germany. The animals are despised by many pigeon breeders. Exhausted birds in particular represent an easily accessible food source for raptors during pigeon races covering several hundred kilometres. Due to domestication, their natural flight instinct is barely developed. Nevertheless, around 25,000 of the nearly 50,000 racing pigeon breeders in Germany take part in competitive races — sending many of their animals to certain death: owing to exhaustion, disorientation, hunger, or predators, loss rates are well into the double-digit percentage range. In a study, veterinary scientists put the average loss rate in pigeon races at 53 percent of birds per season. According to a study by the Swiss Animal Protection organisation, loss rates in the races examined in Switzerland were as high as around 75 percent.

Pigeon breeding and racing increase urban populations

Many pigeons also get lost in cities, where the domesticated animals accustomed to specialist feed have birds poor chances of survival. The animals face numerous dangers there and often live on the brink of starvation. Their high reproductive rate was bred into them. Urban pigeon populations grow steadily through a constant influx of new birds from races and their offspring. PETA demands that city administrations expand their pigeon management — alongside the establishment of supervised pigeon lofts — to include a ban on racing.