City of Xanthi enlisting falcons to tackle pigeon problem

The local authority in Xanthi, has announced its intention to unleash specially trained falcons into the city center in a bid to tackle what it claims is an infestation of pigeons.

In a program slated to last five months, the municipal authority will be hiring professionals to train an undisclosed number of falcons to repel pigeons from roosting on the city center’s buildings, trees and statues.

According to the authority, pigeons, or more specifically their droppings, are not only making life in the city center unpleasant, but are also a public health concern and contribute to the degradation of public buildings and monuments.

It said that using falcons to repel them is a humane and natural way to resolve the problem, without resorting to the use of chemicals, unsightly interventions like netting or violence against the pigeons.

The scheme has not met with the approval of local conservation groups, however, with one critic calling it “medieval.”

“The first reason is that falconry involves keeping wild animals in captivity. The second is that pigeon populations can now be controlled with feed that makes them sterile,” Anna Maria Zafeiriadou, a spokesperson for the Adespotoulia Xanthis animal protection group told Mega TV.

The pigeons, she added, will just “leave the square and move further into the city.”