Pigeon culler shooting at birds causes panic at Brighton

Residents were stunned after a man wandering a suburban street pulled out a rifle near a playground and began shooting – with a pesky reason the explanation.

Brighton locals have been stunned after spotting a man wandering around their family-friendly neighbourhood with a rifle, shooting into the air.

On Monday, Jeff, who lives in the area watched in disbelief as he witnessed a man wearing a hi-vis top walk to his car, then pull out a “large rifle that was about a metre long” before firing.

The activity took place in South Brighton near Wattle Reserve around 6.30pm.

“I saw someone paying a lot of attention to one particular house, next to a playground,” Jeff told ABC News.

“I was minding my own business and I couldn’t help but notice that he was wandering back and forth, in and out of a driveway, pacing up and down the street.

“After about an hour, he went back to his car which was parked across the street from his house, he pulled out a gun and took some shots at the house.

Jeff recalled how the man then walked back to the house and collected the deceased bird, leaving him “taken aback” by the sight.

A photograph has emerged online of a man pulling out a gun next to a playground in Brighton, sparking panic among some residents. Picture: 7NEWS Adelaide

“I’m in a park in Brighton, I’m not expecting anyone to pull out a gun without any signage or any warning about what’s going to happen,” he said.

Frightened by what he had just witnessed, Jeff then called the police and became equally astounded by their response.

“They told me that there was a pigeon culler in the area,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the Holdfast Bay Council said the activity was not undertaken by nor approved by the council.

“It is a requirement for any pest control companies undertaking such activities to seek approval/notification of local police,” the spokeswoman said.

SA Police said it was notified by a member of the public about a man shooting pigeons in South Brighton.

“The call centre had earlier been notified of the cull occurring in the area and the caller was advised of this,” the spokesperson said.

Adelaide pigeon controller, John, said pigeon cullers are “in the area more often we think”.

“I work every morning and every evening,” he said.

“If you saw what I saw, they gotta go. The faeces, the mess, the noise that they bring about.

“I have people praising my work after living with them for a couple of years. The mess they make, the gutters, the damage, it gets into the tens of thousands.”

John said remaining “fairly covert” while in public is one of the rules pigeon cullers try to abide by.

“You’re not meant to startle or alarm the public,” he said

“You can stick out signage but that might sometimes attract more attention than if you didn’t put out more signage.

“So if I’m going to be blatantly obvious in front of a house, I’d generally approach them and let them know what’s going on.”

Originally published as Pigeon culler shooting at birds causes panic at Brighton