Residents around Central Park Are Facing Pigeon Menace
by Veenod Aggarwal
Our colony has already been facing a stray dog menace. Now a new menace is in the making, Pigeon Menace. Call it Bhakti, love for animals, religious fanaticism or per version, some people find great pleasure and personal satisfaction in feeding stray animals, birds and even ants.
A religious bent of mind or personal affection has prompted a super senior citizen (he usually goes about on a wheelchair) to feed grain to pigeons on his rooftop. He has given instructions to his servant to spread a bag full of grain on his rooftop every day. Initially, it was just a few pigeons that used to come to the rooftop but over a period of time the number has grown to hundreds of them. They are flying all over the other neighbouring houses. Unfortunately for the neighbours, the birds are being fed by him who fulfils his desires while they have to face the shit (literally!). Birds feed at his house and perch on their roofs.
Samvada editor Vichitra wondered how to reduce the population of pigeons, the most disgusting bird. In my neighbourhood servants are feeding them daily. Perhaps we need to circulate a note asking residents not to feed pigeons.’
Another Maharani Bagh resident Asha wrote, ‘Someone should stop pigeons being fed in the Central Park. Huge bags of pigeon feed are emptied there every morning in front of the guard and no one objects to the terrible habit.’
Ravinder Kumar Mehta wrote ‘I have noticed perceptible decline in the bird population in Maharani Bagh over one year or more. My garden bushes and trees had an array of birds such as bulbuls etc and so was the case in Central Park. Now we hardly see any. Appreciate if someone having knowledge of this phenomenon enlighten, as to what is the cause and can it be reversed.
Actually the answer to Ravinder Mehta’s query lies in the fact that population of pigeons in Maharani Bagh has increased so much that the other birds have vanished to other places to roost and find food.
Pigeons in the colony are being fed so much that they don’t need to go any other place looking for food. They roost in the nooks and corners of our houses and keep multiplying.
Feeding birds is a relatively new phenomenon among some residents in our colony. What they should realise is that to feed their personal individual emotional satisfaction they are starting a new menace, the Pigeon Menace.
We feel that those residents who wish to feed birds should just go a few steps outside the colony and feed them somewhere outside the colony. You will then be able to solve both the problems. Your own religious and personal feelings will be fulfilled and at the same time fellow-residents would not be harassed by the nuisance.
Beware Pigeon Feeding Can Be Disastrous too! Research carried out by scientists is an eye opener. The findings say that staying in the vicinity of pigeon-feeding places infects human lungs and the malfunctioning of lungs takes the person closer to death. Kids and elders catch the infection fast. Many cases of such deaths are recorded. Their smallest feathers and droppings spread infection. Wing Comd Sahay, who lost his elder brother by Lung Compression disease and has thrown enough light on this topic, suggested me to share it with the readers.
