Humane Society of the US Supports Pigeon Birth Control

As the pigeon population steadily is declining on its own most likely due to extreme difficulties pigeons are facing surviving on our planet, the HSUS is in full support of the birth control drug for pigeons OvoControl P. The following article is in their newsletter:

‘Birth Control’ for Pigeons Now Available Without a Prescription
EPA reclassifies OvoControl P® as general-use

WASHINGTON — The Humane Society of the United States praised the recent decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to remove the "restricted-use" classification for OvoControl P, a promising birth control agent for use in pigeons.

"We are extremely pleased with the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to ease restrictions on OvoControl P," said John Hadidian, director of Urban Wildlife Programs for The HSUS. "General-use approval will make OvoControl P more readily available to communities and businesses that want to control pigeon populations humanely and effectively."

OvoControl P is an edible pellet treated with nicarbazin, a chemical that effectively reduces egg hatching rates in birds when used in combination with exclusion and other humane measures. It was originally registered by the EPA in 2008 as a "restricted-use" product, a designation that limited the sale and use of the product to licensed applicators only.

The new classification means that it will no longer be necessary to have a special license to purchase and use OvoControl P. OvoControl is also registered for use in Canada geese and Muscovy ducks under the more stringent label restrictions.

The HSUS' Wild Neighbors program promotes nonlethal solutions to conflicts between people and wildlife. For many years, pigeons have been subject to lethal control through poisoning, trapping, shooting or other inhumane methods. The HSUS supports the use of birth control technologies as a way to humanely control animal populations and decrease the likelihood of conflicts.

OvoControl is available through distributors or directly from the manufacturer, Innolytics, LLC. Visit ovocontrol.com for more details. Click here for more information from The HSUS on solving problems with pigeons.