PiCAS INTERNATIONAL

PiCAS International is the only organisation worldwide that offers completely independent advice on all aspects of the humane and non-lethal control of feral bird populations. Although PiCAS International specialises in providing advice on the control of pigeon populations, we will also offer advice on the humane and non-lethal control of any species of feral bird.

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In addition to our recent news on Bath City Council Gull Control PiCAS UK  has responded with its own press release.

Download a PDF vesion of the press release HERE (48kb).

PiCAS International has today learned that Bath City Council, in the UK, has put in place a strategy to control gull populations that are breeding and feeding within Bath city centre.  This control programme will include the use of industry standard controls such as ‘egg oiling’ and ‘distress calls’ to both reduce gull numbers and to deter gulls from using existing breeding sites within the city centre.  Both of these controls should be included in any multi-faceted gull control programme and are PiCAS approved.

The programme also involves the use of Harris Hawks to disperse the gulls and “..make them feel unsettled..”, according to Cathryn Humphries, Environmental Health Manager at Bath City Council.  Unfortunately this element of the programme will have no effect whatsoever on the resident gull population and when this point was made to Ms Humphries the response was that the authority “…needed to be seen to be doing something”.  This is a common response from a vast majority of officers tasked with controlling feral bird populations.  Although there is an understanding that this method of control will have zero effect on the problem, there is still a willingness to spend public money in order to ‘be seen’ to be taking some sort of action - in this case highly visible action.

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