Animal life Only eight fines issued so far for feeding pigeons in Basel
The cantonal police have only issued eight fines since the ban on pigeon feeding came into force in July 2020. Enforcement of the ban is difficult, as the government announced in a statement on the pigeon initiative published on Friday.
23.08.2024, 10:57
SDA
In Basel-Stadt, pigeons continue to be fed very often, both intentionally and unintentionally. This creates a massive oversupply of food for pigeons, according to the report on the legal admissibility of the pigeon initiative, which was submitted in April with over 3,000 signatures.
The pigeon initiative calls for the city's pigeon population to be halved to around 3,000 to 4,000 pigeons. Among other things, this is to be achieved by opening at least one pigeon loft per neighborhood where the animals are fed. The canton closed the eight existing pigeon lofts in stages from 2016.
How many pigeons live in Basel is unclear
The referendum also demands veterinary care for sick and injured pigeons as well as official care places and, if necessary, permanent care places. The pigeon population should also be controlled by replacing eggs with dummies.
In 2016, the population of urban pigeons was estimated by the canton to be between 5,000 and 8,000. It is unclear how many pigeons currently live in the city canton, as the canton does not carry out any monitoring, according to the report.
The initiative does not demand anything impossible and is feasible, writes the government. It is therefore asking the Grand Council to approve the legal admissibility of the "New urban pigeon concept for the canton of Basel-Stadt" initiative.
