‘An absolute menace’: Sydney council plots pigeon cull

A Sydney council has ruffled the feathers of animal rights advocates with a plan to round up and kill pigeons in a bid to control the region’s bird population.

Growing numbers of pigeons in suburban shopping strips, parks and other public areas have prompted Cumberland City Council to endorse a mass eradication plan targeting non-native species in suburbs including Granville, Merrylands and Auburn.

A pigeon flies towards Cumberland City councillors Helen Hughes and Paul Garrard at Dellwood shops in South Granville.Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong

The council is currently working to appoint private pest controllers to cull non-native pigeon species, with the program expected to commence from August 1.

The move is partly in response to complaints from business owners about pigeons “taking over” shopping strips, deterring customers and disrupting outdoor dining.

Julie Pettitt, who has run Dellwood Newsagency in South Granville for more than a decade, said the suburb’s pigeon population was “out of control”.

“They’re flying rodents and keep coming back because people are feeding them with scraps of food,” she said.

Councillors Helen Hughes and Paul Garrard at Dellwood shops in South Granville – one site where the council would like to cull pigeons.Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong

“It’s gotten to the point where shop owners are having to put in spikes, flaps on awnings and sliding doors just to stop the pigeons getting into the shops.

“They defecate everywhere, rifle through the bins and people don’t want to eat outside because the pigeons are everywhere. They’re an absolute menace.”

Cumberland City councillor Paul Gerrard is supportive of the eradication plans, saying the pigeons had become “a public health and safety risk” council had to act upon.

“We’ve tried to stop people from feeding pigeons but, unfortunately, it’s not working, and we now find ourselves with a very big problem,” he said.

“Our shopping centres and parks are being overtaken by pigeons. It’s destroying the amenity for people trying to enjoy those areas.”

Cumberland City Council declined to provide details about how many pigeons it expected to cull through the program, or exactly how the animals will be killed.

Animal rights advocates have criticised the council’s plans, arguing the program is “inhumane” and may prove ineffective as a long-term solution to population control.

NSW Animal Justice Party MP Emma Hurst said the program amounted to “animal cruelty”.

NSW Animal Justice Party MP Emma Hurst has criticised the council’s decision.Credit: Kate Geraghty

“Killing pigeons is futile exercise because they will just breed back up again to their original numbers and it doesn’t address the core issues about why pigeons are attracted to certain environments,” she said, calling the program a “Band-Aid solution”.

A Cumberland City Council spokeswoman said the council has identified several areas with “feral pigeon flocks” that will be targeted as part of the program.

“Council is also implementing educational initiatives to reduce food sources and prevent repopulation which is contributing to unsanitary conditions, adverse effects on pigeon health and overpopulation,” she said.

Environment NSW, the regulatory body which licenses animal control programs, did not respond to questions about whether it was aware of Cumberland’s plans.

The body received 2257 applications to harm – a category which includes catching and releasing, as well as culling – native animals in 2024, of which 2254 were approved and three refused.

The approvals endorsed harm to 302,011 animals, including 60 crested pigeons within Albury City Council.

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