Friday, December 28, 2007

Pigeon Birth Control

Hollywood’s Pigeons To Get The Pill
27 December, 2007

(AP) Hollywood residents believe they’ve found a humane way to reduce their pigeon population and the messes the birds make: the pill.

Over the next few months a birth control product called OvoControl P, which interferes with egg development, will be placed in bird food in new rooftop feeders.

“We think we’ve got a good solution to a bad situation,” said Laura Dodson, president of the Argyle Civic Association, the group leading the effort to try the new contraceptive. “The poop problem has become unmanageable and this could be the answer.”

Community leaders planned to announce the OvoControl P pilot program, which Dodson believes is the first of its kind in the nation, at a news conference Monday.

Dodson said representatives from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals contacted her group with the idea to use OvoControl P. Other animal rights groups, including the Humane Society of the United States, support the contraceptive over electric shock gates, spiked rooftops, poisons or other methods.

It’s estimated about 5,000 pigeons call the area home. Their population boom is blamed in part on people feeding the birds, including a woman known as the Bird Lady, who was responsible for dumping 25-pound bags of seed in 29 spots around Hollywood.

OvoControl P has been registered with the state Department of Pesticide Regulation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Developed by Rancho Santa Fe-based Innolytics, the substance contains nicarbazin, which interferes with an egg’s ability to develop or hatch, said Erick Wolf, Innolytics chief executive.

The pilot program was expected to show results within a year, and the Hollywood area’s pigeon population is expected to shrink by at least half by 2012, Dodson said.
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Los Angeles is working on being the second city in the state to successfully reduce pigeon and squirrel populations by using birth control rather than killing the animals.

The LA Times reports that squirrel birth control known as GonaCon, which succeeded in cutting squirrel's birth rate by 66% in 2004 in Berkeley, was piloted in Palisades Park but then thwarted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture which deemed the park too small to continue the program.

In Hollywood, though, according to the Times, officials have high hopes for reducing the pigeon population and their tendency to "roost on utility lines, tree branches and elsewhere, depositing their droppings on cars, buildings and even residents" with a birth control method called OvoControl P, which the pigeons eat from feeders.

The pilot program is expected to start showing results within a year, as long as the pigeons consume the kibble once a day. If proven as effective as in previous studies, Hollywood's pigeon population is expected to shrink by at least 50% by 2012, according to the contraceptive's manufacturer.
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Councilman Wants Birth Control for Pigeons
11/02/2007
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3806167

A councilman has a unique solution to reducing the pigeon population at the Staten Island ferry terminals: Put them on birth control. Councilman James Odd says OvoControl-P, a drug that renders pigeon eggs unhatchable, could help to thin out the pesky birds and thus the droppings they leave behind inside the terminals where they like to nest.

Oddo says the drug which would be mixed into standard seed has not yet been approved for pigeons by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. A similar product meant for geese was given the OK last month.

Source: Staten Island Advance.

4 comments:

flockopigeons said...

How can I purchase of have this product donated to me. I rescue birds/animals and have been feeding a flock of over 100 pigeons for over 30 years and would love to cut down the numbers humanely. Can someone contact me with info sinne@att.net

flockopigeons said...

how can I obtain, purchase or have this product donated? I have done rescue and feed a flock of over 100 pigeons for over 30 years. It's costly and I would love to humanely reduce the numbers. Any info on who I may contact regarding this sinne@att.net

save street pigeons from destruction said...

HUNDREDS OF STREET PIGEONS IN VAN NUYS ON THE VERGE TO BE EXTERMINATED IF NOT IMMEDIATE ACTION IS TAKEN!!!


I am calling for an urgent meeting on Monday, November 22 @ 7:00 P.M. in Encino (location isnwritten here below) to discuss humane solutions to avoid a large population of pigeons in Van Nuys from being destroyed because their drops are falling on top of cars parked at a parking lot in Van Nuys.

I am talking about a huge population of pigeons who have been in the area for many years and right now they are facing a horrible threat if not action is taken to defend their right to live, to eat and to drink water .



The first thing that this business people did was to place on the top of this complex’s buildings metal needles, considering if not work as a second step which to activate the electric wires with high volts where they are now to electrocute them, otherwise the pigeons would be poisoned.

On November 17, this year I was able to hold a conversation with the owner of this business group and I gave him another solution to avoid the pigeons’ drops falling on top of the clients’ cars which is their concern when their clients park the cars on the parking lot, and he agreed and gave me the green light to work on the project.



HERE IS WHAT NEEDS TO BE DISCUSSED DURING THE MEETING:

1) Someone who can donate the material to built this cage which must be done environmentally green.

2) To bring ideas how to avoid the drops of the pigeons falling on top of the cars while they are standing on top of the electri wires

The Meeting will be held at:

Coral Tree Cafe
17499 Ventura Blvd
Encino, CA
(818) 789-8733
www.coraltreecafe.com
Restaurant, Vegetarian, Food & Grocery, Coffee & Tea


I APPRECIATE AND IT IS IMPORTANT IF EACH ONE WHO READS THIS MESSAGE CAN FORWARD IT TO ENVIROMENTAL OR ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUPS IN ORDER TO GET IMMEDIATE HELP!!!
PLEASE, GET BACK TO ME ASAP.

lady pigeon (818) 908-8042

save street pigeons from destruction said...

HUNDREDS OF STREET PIGEONS IN VAN NUYS ON THE VERGE TO BE EXTERMINATED IF NOT IMMEDIATE ACTION IS TAKEN!!!


I am calling for an urgent meeting on Monday, November 22 @ 7:00 P.M. in Encino to discuss humane solutions to avoid a large population of pigeons in Van Nuys from being destroyed by a corporate business .

The Meeting will be held at:

Coral Tree Cafe
17499 Ventura Blvd
Encino, CA
(818) 789-8733
www.coraltreecafe.com
Restaurant, Vegetarian, Food & Grocery, Coffee & Tea


I APPRECIATE AND IT IS IMPORTANT IF EACH ONE WHO READS THIS MESSAGE CAN FORWARD IT TO ENVIROMENTAL OR ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUPS IN LOS ANGELES IN ORDER TO GET IMMEDIATE HELP!!!
PLEASE, GET BACK TO ME ASAP.

Lady Pigeon(818) 908-8042