Apr 5, 2007 10:57 am US/Central
St. Paul Snatches Pigeon Eggs To Clean Up For RNC
St. Paul (AP) ―
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Past anti-pigeon campaigns have included sticky foam, hawk balloons and an unpopular and ineffective 1980s program that involved netting the birds and turning them over to gun clubs for target practice. (File)
Officials here really want to make a good impression when the Republican National Convention comes to town next year. Their latest plan? Stealing pigeon eggs.
Pigeons have long plagued downtown St. Paul, sullying skyways and sidewalks with their poop. Past anti-pigeon campaigns have included sticky foam, hawk balloons and an unpopular and ineffective 1980s program that involved netting the birds and turning them over to gun clubs for target practice.
"What we learned is that you can't control the number of pigeons by killing them. They're like rats -- they just reproduce," said Bob Kessler, the city's director of licensing, inspections and environmental protection. "You have to learn how to co-exist with them."
This time, the city is offering the pigeons their own real estate -- rooftop nesting grounds. And then, just when they relax and lay their eggs, maintenance workers plan to sneak up through trap doors and grab the next generation before it hatches.
"We'll build them little condos. We'll keep taking the eggs, and they won't have little ones," said Bill Stephenson, the city's animal control supervisor. "Slowly they'll die off."
City officials also considered feeding the pigeons oral contraceptives to keep them from reproducing, but rejected that over fears they could inadvertently sterilize eagles or hawks.
The egg-stealing scheme even has the blessing of the St. Paul Audubon Society. Member Val Cunningham said that's because pigeons are a nonnative species and their eggs aren't protected.
"These sound like humane ways to deal with it," Cunningham said. "I think they're fairly creative ideas, and if they work, it would be sweet for the city."
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According to GOP.com, the Republican Party was born in the early 1850's by anti-slavery activists and individuals who believed that government should grant western lands to settlers free of charge. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected as the first Republican Party president.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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