New York Cityâs solution: Reintroduce a suitable predator: There are now a fair number of falcons nesting in the man-made cliffs of the city, doing a decent job of reducing the rock dove population.
My friend was telling me how one city near LA somehow starting giving the pigeons birth control.
If you wanted to pay me minimum wage to either shoot or strangle pigeons, I guarantee itâd be cheaper per dead pigeon to shoot them.
But what is a suitable predator for an old lady?
A musical interludeâŚ
The more filth we discard around our cities the greater the pigeon population grows to feed upon it. Birds are the most adaptable of species, far more so than primates, including us. The only way to get rid of pigeons is to clean up our act, or learn to love them for getting rid of a good deal of our shit.
Shooting in a crowded city takes a lot of planning and care, unless you donât mind hitting bystanders. So: Expensive.
A friend of mine used to work at a private school. The school had a groundskeeper, an ancient Vietnamese man, who lived in a house on the campus. My friend thought it was nice the man fed the local pigeons everyday. Then one day she saw him walking back toward his house with a couple of dead pigeons in his hands.
Is âa resident of the streetâ a British euphemism for homeless, or does the woman actually live (in a home) around there?
It means she lives in a house on that street.
Thereâs no need for a euphemism for your alternative, we just say âhomelessâ.
âYou just learn to say OK to something like that.â
Iâd probably say âOKâ to the lady with a fistful of dead pigeons as well.
Pigeon problem in Rose Crescent? Maybe Gardiâs closed downâŚ
Lemme see⌠flies are predated upon by spiders which are in turn caught by birds and so on up the chain with cats, dogs etc.
So if I remember my ecology correctly, the apex predator of an old lady in this case would be a horse? That doesnât sound rightâŚ
nope, either Shamu, or Sasquatch. If I have done my figuring correctly.
Seriously? Seriously, this is the news Boing Boing cares about in Cambridge?
Weâve got the Hawking the movie about arguably one of the worldâs greatest Physicists, Dr Stephen âF***ingâ Hawking, based in and around the great city. (He also has a moderately successful career as a gangsta rapper).
Weâve got the utterly amazing Cambridge Computer Museum, with all those home computers and arcade games that you remember from your childhood.
Weâve got more world class tech companies than you can shake a stick at, including one that just produced the worldâs thinnest Bluetooth Smart keyboard.
But some old dear strangles a pigeon, a rat with wings, and that makes the news on Boing Boing!
shakes head sadly
Itâs not Cambridge news, itâs pigeon strangler news.
A spot of tea in a dirty cup should fix you straight!
Could someone start feeding the homeless with pigeon pies?
There, 2 problems solved. Youâre welcome.
âFeed Strangle the birds, whoâll feed strangle the birds?â
Thatâs a good point. Thereâs probably minimal risk of accidentally strangling an unwary bystander.
