LNER, the train operator that runs York station, is under fire for the way it deals with pigeons.
York Stringfoot Pigeon Rescue say they are being cruel to the birds, which can be a health and safety issue at the station, and they are ot considering other alternatives.
They complain that the pigeons are not always killed outright too.
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Samantha Crick from York Stringfoot Pigeon Rescue says they are concerned that birds are suffering.
“I believe that culling pigeons is incredibly cruel and Ithink it’s unnecessary. I think there are many more humane ways to deal with pigeon populations.
“Unfortunately, some businesses want quick fixes to problems, and they believe that culling is a quick fix.
“I think that LNER should invest more heavily in more humane ways at the station.
“So they could improve their netting, for example, they do have quite a bit of bird proof netting already up at the station. However, this is poorly maintained.
“You can walk around there and see that so much of the netting has holes in it, so pigeons can get behind it and get trapped.”
Another way
Samantha Crick says there is another method that seem to work well elsewhere.
“They could also invest in what’s known as an Artificial Nesting Site. These have been used at some stations in Europe and have proved to be a success. It’s an area which is set up where there are pigeon population issues and it’s basically a large dovecote.
“You can manage the pigeon population by feeding the pigeons in this area and also you can also remove eggs from nests and replaced with fake ones.
“It’s a kind of pigeon birth control system. So as long as they’re managed correctly, they can really help to reduce numbers.
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“I think if LNER were to cull all of the pigeons at the station in one evening, more pigeons would have moved back into the area the next day.
“It’s just a perfect environment for them to live in, unfortunately.”
They have started a petition to try and get the rail operator to think again.
Ask LNER to stop culling pigeons at York Train Station
We asked LNER to respond to the concerns about culling at the station from York Stringfoot Pigeon Rescue and whether there were other methods
They said: “We invest in a number of measures to reduce the number of pigeons at York Railway Station as they cause public and staff safety issues.”
The company did not answer the questions raised by York Stringfoot Pigeon Rescue about how humane those measures were and if this led to birds suffering.