ABERDEEN, SD – We’ve all seen them. Some of us have maybe even cleaned up messes left by them.
Cities across the country and here in KELOLAND are looking at ways to fight a pigeon problem. The issue made its way to the Aberdeen City Council Monday.
“They continue to be a continuous problem and they do cause quite a bit of damage and they’re a health hazard,” animal control officer John Weaver said.
Aberdeen city manager Lynn Lander wants to contract with a professional to fight the problem. Lander says the goal isn’t to eliminate the birds, but rather to control the population.
The service would cost $7,250 a year, Lander said. Owners would still need to play a part in guarding their property from pigeon damage.
“We would go to specific buildings to disrupt the nesting process because a typical pair can have as many as 20 offspring and a wild pigeon can live up to 10 years,” Lander said.
Pigeons have caused damage to public and private property in Aberdeen. The Aberdeen Police Department has a device that runs to a vent on the roof. Pigeons nested in that vent, dropping eggs and droppings right down into the building.
“Very annoying,” Daryl Van Dover with the Aberdeen Police Department said. “The pigeons have been quite a problem for some time.”
“Through my research and talking to various different municipalities, we all have the same problems,” Lander said.
There are already efforts underway to cut down on the number of pigeons in town. The Aberdeen Downtown Association manages a netting program. Through that program a man recently captured and hauled more than 500 birds from the Hub City, Weaver said.
Lander wants the additional pigeon population control to target problem areas and supplement efforts already taking place.
At the police station, workers have already tried blocking birds from the vent but say they’re running into issues again.
“We’re attempting to screen them out once again and hopefully that’ll take care of the problem,” Weaver said.
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