Many commented and 110 people completed our online poll, with 54 per cent voting the best way to deal with the pigeons was to shoot them.
There are several ways to remove pigeons from cities: by shooting, using a repellent gel on buildings and placing birth control pellets on buildings.
The numbers vary across the year, depending on this cycle. The adults drop the eggs and leave and come back the next breeding season to breed again. The breeding cycles are in May-June and also in November.
The predominant pigeon species here is Columba livia. They are a declared pest species and they carry five diseases, which are transmittable to humans via droppings. These are: Encephalitis, Histoplasmosis, Candidiasis, Salmonellosis and E coli.
These diseases transmit to humans through the droppings being disturbed. The dust goes into the lungs.
There is also damage to buildings because the droppings are quite acidic. About 100 pigeons can produce up to 2000kg of droppings a year.
Pigeon droppings littering a staircase
Stonemason and bricklayer Ron Doyle, of Brian Doyle Stonemasons, Crookwell, said the droppings should not be allowed to build up.
“The rain softens it and it becomes quite acidic and then starts damaging the brickwork,” Mr Doyle said.
New Zealand company Adler removes pest birds from buildings by applying a gel to them.
“The gel works on the sensory (smell) and optical nerves (sight) in pigeons and most other birds. To them it smells offensive and looks like fire,” a company spokesperson said.
The gel contains citronella and other plant based ingredients and is nontoxic to humans, animals and aquatic life.
“It will not cause long-term adverse effects in the environment,” they said.
The company usually operates on behalf of property managers who are interested in protecting their own buildings.
“A typical installation is on ledges, parapets, beams above pedestrian areas and in and around heating, ventilating and air-conditioning units on roofs, where pigeons typically build their nests,” they said.
“It’s a case of scoping each property with the problem and addressing it. A targeted approach is best and most effective.”
Another method called OvoControl involves placing birth control bait in feeders.
Goulburn resident Ron McLaughlin came across this while travelling in America.
“It has been very successful in some neighbourhoods in American cities as well as in Spain,” he said.
OvoControl interferes with the reproduction of birds, specifically with with egg hatch ability, causing the population to decline. This effective and humane technology is especially useful for managing pigeon flocks in larger areas without having to resort to poisons.
Pigeons breed rapidly. Just five mating pairs can produce up to 400 pigeons in only two years. Fortunately, the life-span of urban pigeons is relatively short, limited to about three years.
According to a statement by OvoControl, field studies have shown a reduction of 50 per cent annually, after using it.
Recently, data at a site in San Diego reported an 88% decline over 28 months.
The August 6 Goulburn Mulwaree Council meeting adopted a Draft Pigeon and Pest Bird policy. This policy is on public exhibition for 28 days for submissions.
Have a Pigeon Problem?
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products eight years in a row.
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An infection linked to pigeon droppings was a “contributing factor” in the death of a child at a Glasgow hospital, it has been confirmed.
The child was being treated at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital when he or she appears to have caught the infection – a fungus called cryptococcus.
The child has not been named. The fungus did not contribute to the death in December of a second patient infected with the same pathogen, say experts.
What is it?
Cryptococcus is a yeast-like fungus that lives in the environment.
It can be found in soil contaminated by pigeon droppings.
How can you catch it?
People can become infected if they breathe it in.
The child who died in December at the hospital in Glasgow had been exposed to the fungus.
Experts say the probable source has been traced to a room on the rooftop of the hospital. Pigeon droppings appeared in the room via a small break in the wall which was “invisible to the naked eye”, Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman confirmed.
The hospital says it has put infection control measures in place and no further cases have been reported.
How risky is it?
Most won’t get sick, but vulnerable people with already weakened immunity can get very ill with a chest infection or meningitis.
Expert Prof Hugh Pennington says it is very unusual to see cases in the UK.
“It is common in other parts of the world, particularly tropical parts, in the US and countries like that where they have more problems with this particular kind of fungus. But in the UK, very uncommon.
“There are cases in people who have problems with their immune systems. They’re the people who are at risk with this kind of bug.”
Cryptococcus infection cannot spread from person to person.
How dangerous is pigeon poo?
Breathing dust or water droplets containing contaminated bird droppings can lead to several diseases, including a flu-like illness called psittacosis.
Salmonella – a bacterial infection that can cause diarrhoea – may also be present in some bird droppings.
If you are cleaning up or come into contact with droppings, you should take precautions. Wash your hands and clean any exposed skin before eating, drinking or putting your hands near your mouth.
Likewise, if you are feeding or handling birds, wash your hands afterwards.
If you have a compromised immune system, including from HIV/AIDS or cancer, you should not clean up droppings.
Have a Pigeon Problem?
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products eight years in a row.
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A local wildlife organization is concerned about the number of sick pigeons it’s finding in Regina’s downtown.
Megan Lawrence, director of rehabilitation for Salthaven West, said her organization is frequently called for reports of pigeons in distress.
She said Salthaven has been dealing with the birds for years now and fears they might have been poisoned.
“On average we’re seeing a poisoned pigeon every two to three weeks,” she said, adding those numbers increase in the summer. “It’s not a very humane death. Their temperature skyrockets; it can be a very painful death.”
“By the time we receive them, they’re having violent seizures,” she said. “The only thing we can do to get rid of the poison in their system is basically flush it out.”
Lawrence said she’s heard that some businesses downtown may be using poison in order to detract the birds from congregating on rooftops and other roosting points on buildings. However, she wasn’t able to offer any proof for her claims or pinpoint specific businesses and said she hasn’t spoken to any business owners herself.
The Leader-Post contacted some downtown businesses to see how they control the pigeon population. None of the businesses who responded said they use poison or have had an issue with pigeon overpopulation.
Kevin Lang, building manager for the Ramada Plaza located on Victoria Avenue, said while he has inquired with pest control companies about using poison to stop pigeons from roosting on the hotel’s roof, he’s never used it.
“I’ve been told … it affects the other (types of) birds,” he said. “(If) you put poison out, it can be consumed by anything that lands on our roof, which is not environmentally friendly.”
Instead, the hotel uses cages to keep them out. He said without them, pigeons can get into ventilation equipment and leave feathers in the rooftop coils.
Lawrence said if pigeons ingest poison, they aren’t the only ones who suffer. Animals who eat pigeons could be affected.
“If a Peregrine falcon was to eat one of those pigeons that had ingested the poison, the falcon is also going to get the poison and perhaps die as well,” she said.
Half of the pigeons they receive, she said, end up dying.
Have a Pigeon Problem?
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products eight years in a row.
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B.C.’s solution to tackling the pigeon problem on SkyTrain? Birth control
Pigeons can be a real problem on B.C.’s SkyTrain transit system.
While the droppings are messy enough, the birds also put customer safety at risk. TransLink says they trigger track intrusion alarms, which can cause the driverless trains to brake automatically, leading to customer falls and service delays.
So TransLink and the BC SPCA have come up with a solution to help reduce the pigeon population at the VCC-Clark SkyTrain Station — birth control.
As part of a pilot project to control the population, an automatic bird feeder will be dispensing OvoControl.
TransLink says it is a non-toxic, effective and humane contraception used in other cities to prevent pigeon reproduction and reduce populations naturally.
TransLink has already put up nets at stations, set up spikes and strips to deter them from roosting and hired a falconer to patrol stations with the most pigeons.
The move to provide birth control is being supported by wildlife and animal groups.
“Wildlife Rescue strives to reduce human-wildlife conflict in the urban environment and rehabilitates injured and orphaned wildlife,” Linda Bakker, co-executive director of the B.C. Wildlife Rescue Association said in a release.
“This project aims to humanely reduce the number of pigeons at areas that have a lot of potential casualties and injuries in pigeons. This project will reduce the number of injured, deceased and orphaned pigeons in these areas. Wildlife Rescue supports the BC SPCA in promoting humane wildlife management practices.”
According to TransLink, studies have shown a 50 to 90 per cent population reduction in OvoControl-managed pigeon populations, as those who eat the bait pellets regularly will not be able to fertilize eggs.
The BC SPCA says with fewer new pigeons born, the population around the SkyTrain stations will be naturally reduced and fewer operational issues will result.
“OvoControl has been approved for use by Health Canada and only has contraceptive effects in birds,” Dr. Sara Dubois, chief scientific officer with the BC SPCA, said in a release.
Have a Pigeon Problem?
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products eight years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279, or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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Advocate questions decision to kill pigeons pooping on Sid Buckwold Bridge
Crews tasked with cleaning a Saskatchewan bridge are in for a dirty job.
The City of Saskatoon said that over the last 50 years one of its bridges has accumulated nearly 350 tonnes of pigeon poop – which is roughly equal to 230 cars parked on the bridge.
It said the feces adds unnecessary weight and the pigeon droppings contain uric acid which can damage concrete.
The facelift also means the extermination of about 1,500 members of the feathered flock that makes the Sid Buckwold Bridge home.
The city said relocating or displacing the birds is not recommended because they are likely to fly back or move into other private properties or civic spaces.
A local wildlife advocate is disappointed and questions why alternatives can’t be found that would allow the birds to live.
“In Saskatchewan, a very, very, very common response is if it pisses you off, shoot it,” said Jan Shadick, volunteer director of Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation.
Shadick blames Saskatoon’s approach on a regional attitude towards so-called pesky wildlife.
“Everybody’s getting really mad at the pigeons, but if you didn’t clean your house for 50 years, I’m going to guess it would probably be condemned.”
In emails to The Canadian Press, a city spokesman says the bridge was designed with more than 30 cavities underneath, which make the structure rather cosy for pigeons to nest, but are difficult to reach.
“The challenge has always been access to these areas. They are essentially inaccessible over the river and the most efficient plan was to wait until the bridge rehab project,” Mark Rogstad wrote.
Clearing out the pigeons and their poop was set to begin this week. The city says once finished, it will take steps to deter the birds from renesting.
Canadian cities take different approaches to dealing with pigeons.
On other bridges in Saskatoon, the city uses mesh and barriers to prevent roosting and utilizes falcons around its waste-water treatment plant and landfill.
Regina and Vancouver rely on pigeon spikes, protective netting or cages to keep pigeons off their facilities.
Toronto and Calgary do not practice pigeon control.
A spokeswoman for the city of Ottawa said there’s no bylaw for regulating wild animals on private property, but the city recommends that people animal-proof their homes.
Shadick said she supports non-lethal ways to manage wildlife and believes if Saskatoon wants to be seen as an environmentally friendly, forward-thinking city it should rethink its plan.
“The pigeons are simply doing what they do,” she said.
“They’re living. They’re eating. They’re procreating. They’re being pigeons. They’re being birds.”
Have a Pigeon Problem?
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products eight years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279, or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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BEIJING – The 10,000 birds released in a ceremony Wednesday for China’s National Day underwent unusual scrutiny, each having its feathers and anus checked for dangerous materials, state-run media reports said, reflecting government jitters over possible attacks.
The symbols of peace were released at sunrise in Beijing’s symbolic heart of Tiananmen Square in a ceremony for the Oct. 1 holiday to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
Beijing domestic security police officer Guo Chunwei was quoted in the Jinghua Times as saying workers checked the wings, legs and anus of each pigeon ahead of time to ensure they were “not carrying suspicious material.” The entire process was videotaped, and the birds were then loaded into sealed vehicles for the trip to Tiananmen Square, the newspaper said.
The reports – which did not say what the suspicious materials might be – drew amused and derisive responses from some Chinese readers, and many news sites, including the Beijing News website, later deleted the reports. However, the Jinghua Times report and the People’s Daily tweet were still visible as of midday Wednesday.
Members of the Chinese public responded with sarcasm because they see in the pigeon body searches their own plight in what they consider an oppressive society with tight surveillance, censorship and judicial injustice, independent columnist Zhang Ping said in an editorial that was circulated on social media under his pen name, Changping.
“The liberty and dignity of citizens are increasingly vulnerable, and can be expropriated at any time, like with the pigeons,” Zhang wrote. “They have to go through the pains and insults of the rude anal check and yet they must appear peaceful and happy on the screen of the state broadcaster.”
The notched-up security measures reflect heightened concern about violence following a string of attacks blamed on separatist militants from the country’s ethnic Uighur Muslim minority, as well as bus explosions and random slashing attacks attributed to disgruntled individuals.
Last October, three Uighurs in a vehicle rammed through crowds in front of Tiananmen Gate in central Beijing and set off explosives in an attack that killed themselves and three bystanders.
Beijing authorities also are sending police helicopters to monitor highway checkpoints, ring roads within the city, major intersections and areas with heavy traffic, including popular tourist spots such as the Great Wall and the Summer Palace, the Beijing News said. Additionally, the capital has mobilized 850,000 citizen volunteers to help keep a lookout in the city of about 20 million people, the newspaper said.
Have a Pigeon Problem?
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
You read that correctly, bird poop can in fact lower your property value! A homeowner has fled their nest and out their four bedroom house on the market for a knock-own price because its covered in pigeon poo.
In certain areas, the poop has been said to be almost 2 feet deep.
Number 1 Coburg Villas in Ilfracombe, Devon, has been described as a large, terraced house with big rooms, outdoor space and stunning views over the Bristol channel but because of the problems it’s been given a price tag of just £45,000.
Prospective buyers have been warned the project is not for the faint-hearted and it needs a lot of work. As well as the pigeon problem there are missing windows, no staircase to the first floor, fallen in ceilings and several rotten floors.
Webbers director Lee Hussell said the house was lived in until the end of last year.
He said: “The lady who lived here kept herself to herself and has now moved into rented accommodation. The property is in a very sorry state of repair but has massive potential.”
“Due to the structural state of the building and the large amount of pigeon waste, which is a hazardous substance, we are not able to offer any viewings on this property.”
A virtual tour of the property was filmed for marketing purposes by Panoptic Motion, which featured a man wearing a large pigeon head hovering behind a door on the third floor.
Lee added: “The people at Panoptic Motion were able to go in and provide a virtual tour – which obviously has a big surprise on the third floor.
“We knew nothing about this until we looked through it ourselves, but it’s very funny and tongue-in-cheek and the more we can get people talking about this property the better.”
Lee said the state of the property – as well as the surprise in the virtual tour – has led to tens of thousands of views of the property online.
He said: “It’s gone properly viral – we’ve had people contacting us to say its been shared in Australia.
Don’t let this happen to you!
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279, or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
The owner of a southeast Edmonton home has been ordered to hire a qualified pest control operator to get rid of a pigeon infestation at the house.
One neighbour who lives near the home said he sat in his backyard about a month ago and counted upwards of 28 pigeons on the property.
When Global News visited the property Monday, the owner wouldn’t comment on the situation, but he did say, “I’m raising pigeons in my bedroom.”
The five bedroom, five bathroom house is currently on the market for $299,999. One neighbour told Global News they’ve witnessed people who have come to view the home running outside holding their noses. One person threw up on the ground after leaving the house, a neighbour told Global News.
The AHS officer who inspected the home found “a heavy pigeon infestation” on the outside of the house. The birds have taken over the exterior building envelope and an incomplete outdoor balcony addition, the AHS report stated.
“There’s been numerous complaints from the neighbourhood. We’re on it but there’s a lot of moving pieces and it’s complicated,” Ward 11 councillor Mike Nickel said.
The city has been working on the file for about a year now. But when several jurisdictions have to come together to solve a problem like this, it can take some time, Nickel said.
“They don’t want excuses. When it’s at this scale of nuisance they just say, ‘Get it fixed and get it fixed now.’”
The order to clean up the home was issued after an Alberta Health Services officer inspected the property on March 23. All occupants of the home have also been ordered to vacate by June 1.
A heavy accumulation of pigeon droppings was found on the o
utside of the home, which the owner has also been ordered to clean up.
Beyond the pigeon problem, the inspector found several structural concerns with the home which the owner has been ordered to fix. Other issues include unfinished walls, exposed insulation, missing siding, missing handrails and a blocked basement window.
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Business owners in La Crosse are putting pigeons on birth control – sort of.
Feeding stations atop downtown buildings include a contraceptive feed. It’s aimed at lowering reproduction in the birds that leave droppings on sidewalks, awnings and park benches.
Wayne Oliver, a member of the Downtown Mainstreet Board, tells WXOW that it’s the most successful idea the board has tried.
Maria Norberg, owner of a downtown coffee shop and food truck, says she supports anything that can cut down on the overhead threat to her customers.
Funding comes from a city beautification grant.
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Pigeons can be a real problem on B.C.’s SkyTrain transit system.
While the droppings are messy enough, the birds also put customer safety at risk. TransLink says they trigger track intrusion alarms, which can cause the driverless trains to brake automatically, leading to customer falls and service delays. Not to mention the smell and the various health hazards associated with bird droppings.
So TransLink and the BC SPCA have come up with a solution to help reduce the pigeon population at the VCC-Clark SkyTrain Station — birth control.
As part of a pilot project to control the population, an automatic bird feeder will be dispensing OvoControl.
(OvoControl feeder)
TransLink says it is a non-toxic, effective and humane contraception used in other cities to prevent pigeon reproduction and reduce populations naturally.
TransLink has already put up nets at stations, set up spikes and strips to deter them from roosting and hired a falconer to patrol stations with the most pigeons.
The move to provide birth control is being supported by wildlife and animal groups.
“Wildlife Rescue strives to reduce human-wildlife conflict in the urban environment and rehabilitates injured and orphaned wildlife,” Linda Bakker, co-executive director of the B.C. Wildlife Rescue Association said in a release.
“This project aims to humanely reduce the number of pigeons at areas that have a lot of potential casualties and injuries in pigeons. This project will reduce the number of injured, deceased and orphaned pigeons in these areas. Wildlife Rescue supports the BC SPCA in promoting humane wildlife management practices.”
The BC SPCA says with fewer new pigeons born, the population around the SkyTrain stations will be naturally reduced and fewer operational issues will result.
“OvoControl has been approved for use by Health Canada and only has contraceptive effects in birds,” Dr. Sara Dubois, chief scientific officer with the BC SPCA, said in a release.
“Pigeons must eat their daily dose (5g/bird) for the contraceptive to work, and it is designed to be fed in a manner to maximize pigeon feeding behaviour. We are happy TransLink is ready to partner with us and research what could be a very effective and humane long-term solution.”
Here at Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture, sell, and install humane bird exclusion products, such as bird spikes and netting. Visit our website for the latest in humane bird control products and services.
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Crews tasked with cleaning a Saskatchewan bridge are in for a dirty job.
The City of Saskatoon said that over the last 50 years one of its bridges has accumulated nearly 350 tonnes of pigeon poop – which is roughly equal to 230 cars parked on the bridge.
It said the feces adds unnecessary weight and the pigeon droppings contain uric acid which can damage concrete, affecting the integrity of the bridge.
This also means the extermination of about 1,500 members of the feathered flock that makes the Sid Buckwold Bridge home.
The city said relocating or displacing the birds is not recommended because they are likely to fly back or move into other private properties or civic spaces. Homing pigeons are likely to return to their original roosting areas, making relocation difficult as a long term solution.
A local wildlife advocate is disappointed and questions why alternatives can’t be found that would allow the birds to live. “In Saskatchewan, a very, very, very common response is if it pisses you off, shoot it,” said Jan Shadick, volunteer director of Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation.
Regina and Vancouver rely on pigeon spikes, protective netting or cages to keep pigeons off their facilities. Toronto and Calgary do not practice Pigeon control.
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Occasionally, you see them munching on a pizza rind or some other recognizable discarded food, but most of the time they seem to be pecking at nothing at all.
I am not planning to start a pigeon Facebook enterprise, but unlike virtually all New Yorkers, I do not loathe pigeons and give them credit for living a tough life on the mean and unforgiving streets of Manhattan.
And if you actually stop and look at them, which no one does, their plumage can be quite striking. Yes they are plump and the neck-snapping walk is mind-boggling — what evolutionary rationale could that possibly have? — but they demonstrate an unrelenting pluck to survive in the city that I find admirable.
Just like seagulls, you never see a young or old pigeon, and never a sickly one. They are all the same size and seem in excellent health. I’ve never seen a dead pigeon or a squished one, which is remarkable for all their bicycle- and car-dodging. Not to overthink this, for all of their daily vicissitudes they seem pretty content with their lives, although their expressionless faces could be masking all kinds of nameless dreads.
One activity that seems to definitely give them great pleasure is communal flight. As I look east from our 16th floor apartment, I often see sizable flocks of pigeons soaring in synchronized movements that have no purpose, just banking, turning this way and that, diving and climbing.
They are clearly playing. They will, as a group, alight on a random rooftop, cogitate for a while and then set off on another flight maneuver, happy as clams.
If there is an afterlife, this playful flying would not make me elect to come back as a pigeon. I’m on record as choosing to come back as a chickadee. But if I have no choice and I’m forced to come back as a pigeon, I could handle it. The key, it seems, is a sufficient stream of pizza rinds.
Seagulls seem a lot like pigeons. They are always scamming for food and can fly beautifully. They seem smarter than pigeons and have a more sculpted shape. Gratefully, they have eliminated the disturbing neck-snapping walk, and they are artful at catching food thrown at them by the bored human denizens of Crescent Beach.
Which brings me to a seagull story. It is a third-hand story and its veracity cannot be verified. It was told to me by my nephew on Cape Cod, and he is a known embellisher. There is a thin line between embellishment and prevarication, and I am pretty sure he was sticking to the embellishment side. Not betting my life on that, however.
It starts with a surf-casting fisherman and a nearby observing seagull. The seagull watches as the surf-caster baits up his hook and heaves it into the waves. This is repeated several times with no success, fish-catching-wise. This is where it gets interesting.
This story wants you to believe that a light goes on in the observing seagull’s brain. The light says one, there is food being flung into the air and two, I can fly. Ergo, an intercept is entirely possible. But the light does not fully grasp the concept of “fish hook.”
You probably see where this is going. A perfectly timed intercept is made and the hook lodges in the seagull’s beak, surprising both human and bird actors in this story.
Embellishment alert: The fisherman starts reeling in the seagull and eventually gets it on the beach where a concerned woman assists the fisherman to calm the seagull while he fetches his needle-nose pliers to extract the hook. The seagull is not pleased, and it takes a while to wrestle the hook out.
A moment passes as the humans and seagull digest what just happened. Another light goes on in the seagull’s brain. With good intentions, the concerned woman is carefully holding the seagull but gets no credit for this act of kindness. The light says take a nip of the woman’s cheek and get the heck out of here. End of story.
True story? We cannot be sure.
But it sure beats any pigeon story I know.
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WOLCOTT — Someone discarded 145 living pigeons this winter the way one throws out an empty disposable coffee cup — by tossing them into a trash dumpster.
The night caretaker at the northbound Interstate 65 rest area in White County found the first 57 birds in the middle of December as he took the trash out, said Kim Hoover of the Hoots to Howls Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in rural Pulaski County. Some of the birds trapped inside boxes died, she said.
She took the birds and found homes for most of them, keeping the blind and crippled birds at the rehabilitation center.
Then on Feb. 28, the caretaker found more boxes of birds in the same dumpster at the same rest area.
“Same mozzarella cheese boxes. Same person’s name and number on the leg ban,” she said.
The first group of birds found were standing in feces that were caked to their feet and matted in their feathers, Hoover said. It appeared they’d been in the dumpster for a while and were in poor health.
The second group was found in better condition and did not have trash piled on top of the boxes, indicating that they had not been in the dumpster that long, Hoover said.
That person’s name on the leg band is Bahman Ghassab from Dublin, Ohio, Hoover said. The bands also had a telephone number to reach Ghassab. The Journal & Courier called that number on Wednesday, but it is no longer a working number.
But after the find in December, Hoover said one of her associates did call the number, and Ghassab answered.
“He said he sold some birds to someone in Florida and in Illinois,” Hoover said, “and he would not give any more info than that.
“When asked why would you sell sick starving and injured pigeons and better yet why would someone buy them in this condition, the conversation ended,” Hoover said.
The Journal & Courier contacted John DeCarlo Jr., president of the National Pigeon Association. He checked the association’s membership list, and Ghassab is not a member.
“These birds don’t fly,” Hoover said.
The Journal & Courier texted photos of the birds to DeCarlo, who is in California.
“I don’t know why they don’t fly,” he said, noting this particular breed of pigeon is the Iranian high fliers.
The Iranian high fliers are capable of flight, unlike the one particular breed that Hoover mistakenly was told the rescued birds belonged to, DeCarlo said.
The birds might not fly because they are sick or are under fed or are under conditioned, DeCarlo said. Or they might have been altered so they can’t fly, he added.
Someone told Hoover the birds were likely part of an illegal gambling ring, but that doesn’t seem likely, according to DeCarlo.
The only gambling in the pigeon hobby is among racing pigeons, and these are not racing pigeons, he said.
The flightless pigeon breed is known as parlor rollers. They have been genetically bred not to fly, and when they are nervous or excited, they roll, Decarlo said. There is a competition among parlor rollers to see whose bird can roll the furthest, but it’s not cruel because this is the natural way these birds behave, according to several pigeon experts interviewed Wednesday by the Journal & Courier.
Everyone interviewed Wednesday was incensed by the way these birds were discarded.
Hoover said no one seems interested in investigating it as a criminal case.
“From what I’m told, they’re not pets; they’re not farm animals, so nobody does anything,” she said.
National Pigeon Association Secretary/Treasurer Tim Heidrich of Georgia doesn’t see why it couldn’t be prosecuted.
“To me, it’s like animal cruelty,” Heidrich said. “There are ways to get rid of them without being cruel about it.”
“There are quite a few small shows,” he said. “You can go to these things and sell them — give them away to the kids.”
DeCarlo suggested giving unwanted pigeons to 4Hers so they can learn the hobby and show them.
Finding so many birds thrown away begs the question of whether other birds met with a similar fate only went undiscovered at other locations.
“We don’t know if this is the first time,” Hoover said. “Is it happening at other rest parks? We don’t know.
“I just wish he’d stop. These birds don’t deserve to be thrown out.”
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BOSTON — Along with all the usual declarations and deductions, Massachusetts residents have been asked to keep something else in mind this tax season: pigeon droppings.
In an unusual and at times stomach-turning appeal, the state agency MassWildlife proposed that one way to fight back against the sticky messes befouling cars and damaging bridges is for taxpayers to check a box on their tax forms to support the state’s endangered species program.
How so? Peregrine falcons are among the program’s beneficiaries, and they prey on pigeons.
“Hate pigeon poop? Save peregrine falcons,” begins the message on the agency’s website and in a recent newsletter. It goes on to picture a typical motorist driving home from work over one of the state’s major bridges.
“You’re thinking about dinner as you wait in traffic when — PLOP! — something white and black falls onto your windshield,” the post continues.
Next comes a scientific breakdown of the bird droppings that includes an explanation — for inquiring minds that need to know — of the precise difference between the dark and white portions.
Damage: And then, lest the reader believe it’s all no more than a yucky nuisance, this warning: “This paste-like substance is so acidic and corrosive, that it can damage your car’s paint job. And you guessed it, groups of birds all going to the bathroom in the same place can make man-made structures like bridges deteriorate faster.”
Enter the peregrine falcon, a magnificent predator that can attain speeds of 240 mph in high-elevation dives, no match for the slower and less agile pigeon, which just so happens to be one of the peregrine’s favorite feasts.
Peregrine falcons disappeared from Massachusetts in the mid-1950s and soon after in the entire eastern U.S., their demise largely blamed on the pesticide DDT, according to the state’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.
After the chemical was banned, efforts picked up to reintroduce the raptor, sometimes confused with more common varieties of hawk.
Pigeon-hunting perches: To the surprise of some ornithologists, many of the newcomers eschewed their former rural habitats and became city dwellers. Instead of on cliffs, they began nesting on tall building ledges and bridges in urban areas where food sources — pigeons, especially — were more plentiful.
To help the falcons along, state officials and volunteers placed nesting boxes in strategic locations such as the Custom House Tower in Boston, the 28-story W.E.B. Du Bois Library at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the heavily traveled Tobin Bridge spanning the Mystic River.
“Falcon cams” were even installed to offer a continuous livestream of peregrine comings and goings.
The restoration effort is partially funded by voluntary donations from taxpayers, who can choose to contribute to “endangered wildlife conservation” on their state returns. The money supports more than 400 threatened or endangered plants and animals, from bog turtles to timber rattlesnakes, but the peregrine falcon is easily among the most “charismatic,” said David Paulson, senior endangered species biologist for MassWildlife.
Donations: Contributions to the fund have been increasing but remain well below levels needed, according to state officials and wildlife experts. About 23,000 taxpayers gave $312,000 through the tax check-off in 2017, the last full year for which figures were available, compared with the $178,000 provided by approximately 18,000 taxpayers in 2013.
It’s not just bird lovers and conservationists embracing the slow but steady revival of the peregrine falcons.
State transportation engineers have noticed a reduction in the pigeon population on bridges with nesting falcons, officials said. Fewer pigeons means less waste building up on bridge surfaces, rusting the steel and increasing the costs for maintenance and bridge replacement.
“It’s almost like a symbiotic relationship,” Paulson said. “The structure provides the habitat, and the falcons kind of provide the pest management, for lack of a better term.”
Officials hope drivers when completing their tax forms will see the peregrine as a feathered friend that can make an unwanted splattering a bit less likely.
The falcons “are never going to eliminate (pigeons), but they can help to manage them,” Paulson said.
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A buyer has bid more than $1.4 million for a champion Belgian racing pigeon in a sale, according to the auction house Pipa, which oversaw the online auction for the rare bird.
This regal, emerald green-feathered bird is no regular pigeon you would frequent on the street — as you probably imagined.
In fact, lest you underestimate the athleticism of the mighty bird named “Armando,” look no further than this endorsement.
Nikolaas Gyselbrecht, the founder and chief executive of Pipa, told the Press Association: “This pigeon has a race record that has never been matched by any other pigeon.”
“In football terms you have Messi and Ronaldo – it’s that level.”
The praise for “Armando” continued from there.
PIPA
“This is a crowning glory of all those years in the pigeon sport. The icing on the cake,” Joël Verschoot said of the unique bird he put up for auction, according to the Guardian.
Indeed, Armando is apparently a champ who really goes the distance.
As to why a bird fetched such a high price, it comes down to Armando’s particular knack for the long-distance competition in China, where bird racing is a popular draw.
Bird owners can win plenty of their money back by betting on the correct winged competitor, with prizes in the tens of thousands of dollars.
That being said, your typical racer bird fetches $2,838, according to the BBC.
“This type of champion is rarely offered for sale,” according to the auction site. The high price leapt from $600,000 to $1.4 million in the final moments of bidding, according to the auction site, which features a close-up snapshot of the bird’s eye for reasons unknown.
Go Armando.
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MADRID — The Spanish city of Cádiz will undertake what some may see as a Sisyphean task: relocating 5,000 pigeons hundreds of miles away after a complaint that the birds are driving away tourists from the terraces of cafes in the most visited part of the southern port city.
Carrier pigeons probably date back to ancient Persia. But under a plan announced last month by Cádiz officials, the pigeons themselves will be carried: They will be captured and transported next year to a thinly populated countryside location in eastern Spain. There, they will find a new home in a dovecote near the town of Ribarroja del Turia.
The exile solution to pigeon overcrowding is being presented as a more animal-friendly approach than that taken in other places, where pigeons are treated like flying rats to be culled or fed contraceptive pills that may also be consumed by other species.
The city will use “the most respectful and sustainable method” to keep its pigeon population under control, Álvaro de la Fuente, the city official in charge of environmental policy, said in a statement.
The city came up with the plan after Horeca, a regional federation of hoteliers, complained two years ago that the pigeons were menacing tourists, particularly in the city’s emblematic cathedral square.
“When the pigeon gets hungry, it can get very forceful and often doesn’t even wait for the tourists to leave their table to go for their food,” said Antonio De María Ceballos, a restaurant owner and the president of Horeca.
Horeca also argued that pigeon excrement presents a health risk for waiters and other employees who have to clean pigeon-occupied dining and drinking areas.
The risk, Mr. De María Ceballos said, was confirmed last year by a court ruling in Catalonia that upheld the disability claim of a Barcelona tourism official who said that she contracted pulmonary fibrosis from exposure to floating particles of bird excrement while working in pigeon-filled city squares.
“Nobody here has anything against pigeons or other animals, but something must be done when they proliferate to the point of presenting a health risk,” said Mr. De María Ceballos.
The city hopes to carry out the relocation next year. The 5,000 or so pigeons will have to be trapped and undergo health checks before they are transported and released in eastern Spain, about 375 miles from Cádiz. The hope is that the highly adaptable rock pigeons will be happy to resettle there rather than be tempted to make the return flight.
Mr. de la Fuente, the city official, is also calling on residents to play their part and stop overfeeding pigeons.
He argued that fighting pigeon overpopulation can also helped avoid the spread of “other plagues like rodents.”
City Hall will distribute 3,000 leaflets about how to deal with pigeons, hoping to educate rather than fine its residents for overindulging the birds.
In London, under legislation adopted a decade ago, people risk a fine of as much as 500 pounds ($636) for feeding pigeons around Trafalgar Square.
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Scotland’s health secretary has said she believes infection control is good enough at a hospital where two patients died after contracting an infection linked to pigeon droppings.
Jeane Freeman has ordered a review of the design, build, handover and maintenance of the flagship £842 million Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow as investigations continue.
The Cryptococcus bacteria, a fungal infection linked to pigeon droppings and soil, was found to be a contributory factor in the death of a child, while a second patient was also found to have an infection caused by inhaling the fungus Cryptococcus, although the health secretary has said it did not contribute to their death.
Pigeon droppings found in a plant room on the hospital’s roof are believed to be the source of the problem and investigations are continuing to establish how the bacteria entered a closed ventilation system.
The issue comes after problems with bacteria in the water supply at the adjoining Royal Hospital for Children last year which led to child cancer patients being moved.
In an interview on BBC Good Morning Scotland, Ms Freeman was asked: ‘Do you believe infection control is good enough at this hospital?’
She replied: ‘Yes I do. Yes I do and I think the statistics show that. The overall infection rate in the Queen Elizabeth is 4 per cent, the average across Scotland is 4.9 per cent. It is at least on par with all the other hospitals across Scotland and in fact doing a bit better.
‘But infection happens in hospitals. That’s why we have the Scottish Patient Safety Programme that has significantly reduced infection rates across our hospitals and healthcare settings over the last 10 years or so.
‘What you need to be able to do though is have those additional infection control measures to put in place as they have done at the Queen Elizabeth, with the HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters, with the anti-fungal protection for particularly vulnerable patients in the area where the Crypotoccocus infection was discovered.’
Ms Freeman said she hopes to announce the remit of the review by the end of the week.
She could not give a timescale for how long the review will take and said that while she wants it to reach its conclusions and recommendations as quickly as possible, it needs to take long enough to ensure it is ‘robust’.
She said: ‘There have been a number of instances where parts of the building, the fabric of the building, have been less than we would want it to be.
‘Some of those don’t directly affect patients but obviously our primary concern is that this building is, in its fabric, in its internal infrastructure, is absolutely fit for purpose, so that is why I’ve ordered the review and made sure that we will have independent expert advice to that review.
‘It will look at everything from the design, the construction, the commissioning and the continuing maintenance to try and identify what more might need to be done to ensure that the building is fit for purpose, but also whether there are any particular lessons for us as we go on to instigate other builds of healthcare facilities across Scotland.
‘The review of the Queen Elizabeth will have significant importance for all the new build that we’re undertaking.’
Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Monica Lennon said: ‘The Health Secretary says infection rates are on a par with other hospitals in Scotland but this is supposed to be a world-leading hospital.
‘The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital was an £842 million investment by the Government – the fact we are now having a review into its infrastructure suggests something has gone very wrong.
‘The review must answer honest questions about what has gone wrong here.’
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What do you do when birds poop all over your property?
If you’re TransLink, you send in a falcon.
In an effort to deal with pigeons nesting at the Commercial-Broadway skytrain station, TransLink is using a bird, to flip off other birds.
A Bird Poop Problem
A new platform for the station, set to open February 2nd, will allow commuters to enter westbound from both sides.
The company was hoping the amount of noise made by the skytrain and commuters would shake off the birds, but hasn’t so far.
With the threat of bird poop being a real concern for TransLink, the company decided to bring in a falcon.
Jill Drews, Senior Issues Management Advisor for TransLink says, “the falcon kind of goes in from time to time and scares them away. Hopefully, they remember this is not a safe place to be.”
But there’s more.
In addition to the falcon, Drews says electric strips, that cause a “very,very minor” shock will also be brought in. “It won’t harm the birds. But it’s just irritating so it will hopefully deter them from nesting,” she says.
Spikes and netting will also by installed in an effort to stop the birds from landing.
The pigeons in question could not be reached for a comment.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
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NHS Lanarkshire confirmed that additional checks will be carried out at Hairmyres, Monklands and Wishaw General with “remedial actions” taken if necessary.
NHS Ayrshire and Arran said all hospital plant rooms were regularly checked for “potential threats.”
John Paterson, NHS Lanarkshire director of property and support services, said: “Planned preventative maintenance programmes are being reviewed and refreshed in light of emerging details from the recent incident at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
“We are currently carrying out additional checks for the presence of pigeons and taking any necessary remedial actions if found or reported.”
A spokeswoman for NHS Ayrshire and Arran, which runs hospitals including Crosshouse in Kilmarnock, said: “NHS Ayrshire & Arran Estates Department regularly monitors the safety of the plant rooms at all of our major sites against all potential threats or defects, including access by vermin.
“ Should any infection control issues occur, we work closely with our Infection Control department to deal with them immediately.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Pigeon droppings could today still be seen on the ground outside a scandal-hit hospital where two patients died after contracting a fungal infection.
A child, said to be a cancer patient, and a pensioner both died at the hospital in Glasgow after becoming ill with cryptococcus, which is linked to pigeon droppings.
The 14-floor Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, one of the largest in Europe, is under scrutiny after claims the pigeon infestation was known about two years ago.
Separately, a third patient at the same hospital was last night seriously ill with the life-threatening disease of mucoraceous, which is another type of fungus.
Pigeon droppings on the grounds of The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow today
The Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board said two patients had tested positive for the condition, with one in a stable and the other in a serious condition.
Today, pigeon droppings could be seen on the ground outside the ultra-modern building, which opened in April 2015, costing £842million.
Meanwhile it also emerged that pest control had been called in this week to another hospital in the city, the New Victoria Hospital in Southside.
Healthcare workers reported concerns about pigeon droppings in an underground car park.
One worker, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said: ‘In the underground car park there is significant pigeon droppings which have remained for the last year.
Pigeons roost on top of the neurology building at the £842million hospital in Glasgow today
‘Every person who uses this stairwell steps in the droppings and tramples it through the whole hospital. No effort has been made to remove the pigeons from the car park.’
What is cryptococcus and who is at risk?
Cryptococcus is a yeast-like fungal infection found in soil and bird faeces that can infect humans who breathe it in.
The infection causes symptoms similar to those faced by people with pneumonia, including coughing, fever and headaches.
Cryptococcus, which normally affects people with weak immune systems, can even impact their mental wellbeing.
But most people who become infected to do not get sick – and it cannot be spread between people.
Pigeons can also transmit the fungal infection of histoplasmosis to humans, as well as bacteria such as E.coli and salmonella – and even a form of encephalitis which can cause the brain to inflame.
But most people who are exposed to pigeons have no problems because they do not come in contact with large quantities of infected droppings.
A spokesman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: ‘Our pest control contractor has been called to respond to a complaint received (on Tuesday) about pigeon droppings in the car park at the New Victoria hospital.’
The child who died from the infection was reported to be a cancer patient from the Grampian area, while the other person who was infected was an elderly woman, according to the Glasgow Evening Times.
The young patient was among those receiving treatment in the main adult building as a result of contamination in the water supply in the children’s hospital – which led to six paediatric patients developing infections last year, according to a source.
Children being treated in wards 2A, 2B and the adjoining bone marrow transplant unit were transferred to wards in the adult hospital while work is ongoing to upgrade the ventilation and water system.
A hospital source claimed the room the child was transferred to should have included a Hepa air filter.
The health board said portable Hepa filters are now being installed in ‘all the rooms identified as requiring them’ as part of additional infection control measures following the deaths.
The source said: ‘The child that died had been moved from the children’s hospital to a room in the adult hospital. The Hepa filter should already have been fitted.
‘I have been told that there are other rooms in the hospital, where HEPA filters should have been fitted but weren’t.’
Pigeons fly over The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow today after the incidents
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said a ‘small crack’ was identified in the wall of the hospital’s plant room – identified as the source of the infection – and spores from the droppings ‘may have entered the air supply via the ventilation system.
Snags, blunders and deaths at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital
March 2016 Operations cancelled because of sewage leak.
April 2016 Problems found at specialist children’s mental health ward. Its rooftop garden was deemed a health and safety risk; locks not fit for purpose and no staff alarm system to call for back-up.
September 2016 Patients and visitors complain of getting stuck in lifts.
March 2017 ‘Significant concerns’ raised by Healthcare Environment Inspectorate during unannounced visit – including dust and body fluids on patient trolleys and mattresses.
October 2017 Contractors carrying out routine maintenance smash a section of glass on the building’s roof. Emergency helicopters diverted.
November 2017 Automatic entrance doors opening too frequently because of sensor problems. Reception staff given heaters to keep them warm.
December 2017 Cladding similar to Grenfell Tower also found at the QEUH and removed.
March 2018 Bacteria found in the water supply at the Royal Hospital for Children, which is part of the site. Children with cancer, who have low immunity, infected and treated with antibiotics. Taps and ventilation system in the area now being upgraded.
August 2018 Pane of glass fell ten floors and shattered near front entrance, said to be the third time this had happened. Safety netting installed.
October 2018 Blocked waste-pipe damaged ceiling at the entrance of the building.
December 2018 Two patients contract Cryptococcus, linked to pigeons nesting in walls, but this is not made public until weeks later, when Jeane Freeman confirms infection contributed to the death of a child.
January 2019 Health bosses confirm that two other patients have been infected with an unspecified fungal organism caused by a ‘water leak’.
However, the source said they had seen pictures taken by a bacteriologist employed by the health board which showed the plant room – which contains air conditioning and ventilation equipment – in a ‘filthy’ state.
He said the room was ‘infested’ with droppings and pigeon feathers, suggesting several birds had been in the room.
The source said: ‘The room had a serious infestation of pigeon droppings. It was filthy.
‘The Health Board knew about the problem on December 23 but they didn’t take appropriate action. The pigeons were in that room.’
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has been approached for comment.
Today, Nicola Sturgeon was pressed on whether the ‘tragic’ death of a child at Scotland’s flagship hospital was linked to the NHS’s £900million repairs and maintenance backlog.
Ms Sturgeon said the situation was ‘a very serious incident that must be and is being treated seriously’.
The First Minister expressed her ‘deepest condolences to the families of the two patients who contracted the infection and who have subsequently died’.
Scottish Conservative interim leader Jackson Carlaw said the ‘alarming’ situation at the flagship hospital ‘raised wider questions about the Government’s record on the NHS, because there is a £900 million maintenance backlog on NHS buildings, including hospitals in Scotland’.
Pressing the SNP leader at First Minister’s Questions, he said: ‘Is it any wonder then that we do see problems emerging, not just at the Queen Elizabeth but at other hospitals across Scotland?’
The Tory stressed while tens of thousands of Scots had been successfully treated at the hospital the ‘tragic events’ had ‘shaken confidence’.
He also noted public spending watchdogs at Audit Scotland had reported there were currently ‘no coherent proposals to bring our NHS estate up to standard’.
Ms Sturgeon said: ‘At any given time there will be maintenance requirements in the health service estate.
Pigeon droppings could be seen on the ground outside the modern hospital, pictured today
‘The Scottish Government works closely with health boards through our capital allocations to health boards to make sure we’re providing, as far as we can within the resources available to us, capital provision to do that.’
Mucormycosis, a fungal infection suffered by two further patients at the Glasgow hospital
Two patients are currently suffering from mucormycosis at the hospital, which is a rare and severe fungus. infection from the fungi mucorales
The condition has a very high mortality rate of at least 50 per cent, with severe infection of the facial sinuses potentially extending into the brain.
Those at risk are people with impaired immunity from various causes, including serioid use, iron overload, burns or malnutrition.
The condition can be treated through the reversal of underlying disease or surgical management.
She added: ‘I’m not going to go into party political exchanges on this issue, it is too serious for that.
‘But obviously we work within a financial envelope and I think everybody knows that that has been under pressure in recent years and everybody knows the reasons for that.
‘But within that we have prioritised spending on the health service and we will continue to do so.’
Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard also challenged her on the outbreak, saying: ‘The awful news that two patients, including a child, died after contracting an infection at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow has shocked us all.
‘Our sympathies, our thoughts, are with the families who have lost loved ones. This simply should not have happened.’
He also listed a number of incidents at the hospital since it opened four years ago, including a premature baby dying from an infection and 22 children becoming infected from bacteria in the water supply. He challenged Ms Sturgeon over whether this was ‘good enough’.
This chair covered in pigeon droppings was left in the open for three months at the hospital
The First Minister responded: ‘The evidence suggests there is no general problem with infection control.’
She added: ‘Nobody thinks it is good enough for any patient to get an infection in hospital.
‘Infections do happen in hospitals. There is probably not a hospital anywhere that hasn’t had some kind of infection outbreak and the implications for very ill patients can be severe.
‘That is why it is so important that everything possible is done to reduce infection and everything possible will be done in this case to ensure there is repetition.’
Across Scotland she said there had been a fall in hospital infections since a major outbreak of Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven Hospital in West Dunbartonshire more than a decade ago due to improvements in infection control.
Nightingale Associates, which was bought by Canadian firm IBI Group for £13million in June 2010, was the architect behind the hospital.
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