Pigeons at railway stations causing problems

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

2,000 pigeons shot with rifles at railway stations

More than 2,000 pigeons have been shot at railway stations and depots across the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) in 16 months, the BBC has found.

Professionals with air rifles shoot the pigeons at night in an effort to prevent droppings becoming slip hazards or causing illness, but critics say the method is inhumane.

Of the stations managed by state-owned companies, York Station recorded 608 birds shot between January 2025 and April of this year - 152 of them on a single day.

The data was sourced under the Freedom of Information Act which does not apply to private companies, so it is possible other stations have culled more and the total is higher than the current figure of 2,019.

LNER^» (London North Eastern Railway - about) was the most prolific train operator with more than 800 birds shot at its stations in the year and four months to March 2026 - three-quarters of those at York Station. "We do implement a number of deterrents and any other measures are as a last resort only," the operator said. "The safety of our customers and colleagues is our number one priority."

It said its higher totals on individual days – 152 on 26 January last year, and 97 on 21 February this year – were a result of large gaps between cullings.

Network Rail had 600 pigeons killed across Bristol Temple Meads, London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley stations.

South Western Railway ordered the shooting of 250, Transport for London had 147, and Northern had 143.

Scotrail and c2c did not kill pigeons at any of their stations.

(BBC article continues)

[ChrisB]

They're vermin frankly, and I am don't have a problem - although plenty do in the comments to that article.

So I ask the question - why do many see shooting them as an inhumane way of killing when no one has any problem with Halal killing of any animal??

[TaplowGreen]

They're vermin frankly, and I am don't have a problem - although plenty do in the comments to that article.

So I ask the question - why do many see shooting them as an inhumane way of killing when no one has any problem with Halal killing of any animal??

I think you'll find a lot of people object to the non stun slaughtering of animals, however they're equally wary of being accused of racism, "Islamophobia" etc which tends to be the unimaginative, yet predictable default response to the airing of such objections with the aim of shutting down the debate.

[JayMac]

And yet, those who irrationally hate on Halal slaughter (88% pre-stunned in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom))  are nearly always silent on Kosher slaughter for which pre-stunning isn't permitted at all.

Is it unimaginative and predictable to point that out?

Sod it. Its not irrational. It's nearly always islamophobia and/or racism.

[TaplowGreen]

And yet, those who irrationally hate on Halal slaughter (88% pre-stunned in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom))  are nearly always silent on Kosher slaughter for which pre-stunning isn't permitted at all.

Is it unimaginative and predictable to point that out?

Sod it. Its not irrational. It's nearly always islamophobia and/or racism.

To put that % into perspective, based on the latest figures (2024), over 30 million animals were subjected to non stun slaughter- that is, had their throat slit whilst fully conscious and able to feel what was going on.

27 million halal, 3 million for kosher.

Chickens, sheep, cattle.

The dastardly Islamophobes/racists who make up the RSPCA have noted with concern that this represents a huge rise on previous years, and are calling for a removal of the religious exemption which allows for this brutal and cruel process to continue, a campaign which I am sure anyone who claims to have any interest in animal welfare will wholeheartedly support.

[Mark A]

It'd be good to keep this on topic for what is a transport forum: purpose-built dovecots aside, a combination of e.g. pigeons and buildings isn't a positive one and needs to be addressed, and we can add grey squirrels and brown rats to that catalogue too.

Mark

[Electric train]

Pigeon guano is corrosive, it destroys masonry, attacks paint thus increases steel rusting.  The guano also contains diseases and toxins which are a risk to human health; breathing this dust can cause infections like Cryptococcosis, Histoplasmosis, and Psittacosis.

When I was working I had been around when the pest control teams have been working, the use of birds of pray does keep the numbers down to an extent by scaring the pigeons away, but there are times when the pigeon population is large culling with lethal force is the only option.

When we had a pigeon infestation in traction power substation in the larger Southern Region 'cathedral' substations it could take an environmental cleaning team 2 - 3 weeks or longer to remove the guano and then the substation maintainer can make good the  damage caused to the electrical equipment enclosures

[TaplowGreen]

When I was working I had been around when the pest control teams have been working, the use of birds of pray does keep the numbers down to an extent by scaring the pigeons away, but there are times when the pigeon population is large culling with lethal force is the only option.

 

Please, no more "praying", we've been asked to stick to the subject and avoid religion! 

.........that said, if anyone finds themselves near John Lewis in Oxford St around 0630 on Mondays/Wednesdays and in need of amusement, you may just spot me desperately sidestepping, waving my hand around and running (well, trotting)  trying to avoid being crapped on by our feathered friends who congregate in enormous numbers at that time of day and target me whilst I nip through to Cavendish Square!

[CyclingSid]

How times have changed.

I am old enough to remember when the Min of Ag (then MAFF, now DEFRA) used to pay you for shooting pigeons. I believe the rate was 6d (=2 1/5 p).

[TaplowGreen]

How times have changed.

I am old enough to remember when the Min of Ag (then MAFF, now DEFRA) used to pay you for shooting pigeons. I believe the rate was 6d (=2 1/5 p).

Lance Corporal Jones would probably have bought a few from you too!

[Richard Fairhurst]

How times have changed.

I am old enough to remember when the Min of Ag (then MAFF, now DEFRA) used to pay you for shooting pigeons. I believe the rate was 6d (=2 1/5 p).

I am old enough to remember when pigeons were viewed as so cute there was a kids' TV^▸ (Thames Valley, or TeleVision, depending on context) programme about them…

[GBM]

How times have changed.

I am old enough to remember when the Min of Ag (then MAFF, now DEFRA) used to pay you for shooting pigeons. I believe the rate was 6d (=2 1/5 p).

I am old enough to remember when pigeons were viewed as so cute there was a kids' TV^▸ (Thames Valley, or TeleVision, depending on context) programme about them…

I'd long forgotten that programme!

[Chris from Nailsea]

An update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

TfL^» (Transport for London - about) defends pigeon culls 'when other methods fail'

Transport for London (TfL) has defended the practice of shooting pigeons on its stations with air rifles as necessary to "maintain a safe, clean environment for those using or working on our property".

It comes after freedom of information requests revealed that hundreds of the birds had been culled by TfL contractor Mitie in the past two years.  The transport body said its contractors ensured compliance with health and safety standards while avoiding animal cruelty.

Michael Britton, founder of London Bird Rescue, called the culls "an incredibly archaic, barbaric and unintelligent approach to wildlife management".

According to information gathered by wildlife group Manchester Pigeon Rehab, there were more than 120 organised shootings at Tube depots and stations between March 2024 and March 2026, and 655 birds were killed.

TfL said pigeon waste "carries risks of bacteria and insects, while nesting and waste material creates fire hazards and structural damage".

A TfL spokesperson said: "Our approach is focused on prevention, and the avoidance of animal cruelty is taken very seriously.  We continue to invest in preventative measures as our primary approach, exhausting all appropriate non-lethal methods, and have significantly increased our mitigations on stations and in depots as part of this work.

"Unfortunately, in a small number of cases, preventative measures are not always successful or effective, creating an unsafe environment.  When this is the case, we work with our suppliers to ensure that the removal of pigeons, or their nests, is undertaken with consideration and only ever as a last resort when other deterrents have failed."

Contractors use air rifles to shoot the pigeons, usually in the early hours when the Tube system is closed to passengers.

Britton said culling "has been proven to be an ineffective long-term solution, particularly at open-air sites, and, conversely, can actually increase population numbers".

He added: "Many companies and corporations have adopted a far more successful 'no-kill' approach, by making necessary modifications to infrastructure and utilising effective, humane deterrents such as 'anti-perch' slopes.  In countries with a more proactive and intelligent stance, such as France, Germany and Switzerland, the use of dovecotes has been proven to be a fantastic solution.  I would strongly urge TfL to immediately revise their wildlife management strategy and adopt a non-lethal policy."

All wild birds in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom), including pigeons, are protected by legislation that makes it illegal to kill or injure them or damage their nests.  But the government issues licences allowing authorised individuals or pest controllers to control feral pigeons for reasons such as preventing serious disease or protecting public health and safety.

TfL said "humane bird dispatchers are used to make the process as swift as possible without causing unnecessary pain to the animal".

[TaplowGreen]

Well, now we know where the supplies for the BBQs are sourced! 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Yellow card to TG^▸ (TaplowGreen - a respected member of this forum - or, possibly, a train cancellation code ("cancelled due to an issue with the train crew"), depending on context), for mentioning barbeque anywhere other than on 'the lighter side'.