The municipal administration draws a positive assessment of the strategic plan for numerical control of the urban pigeon population (Columba livia var. domestic). Launched in 2022, the project aims to re-establish a sustainable balance between the presence of birds and the essential needs of public hygiene, architectural decoration and protection of historical heritage.
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The data emerging from the latest censuses confirm the effectiveness of the strategy adopted: if in 2015 there were 897 animalsthe number dropped dramatically to 211 in 2023up to the current ones 135 specimens registered in 2025.
Scientific approach
Unlike cruel methods, theAdministration has opted for a scientific approach that respects animal life. In line with law no. 157/1992, which protects the city pigeon as wild fauna, the Municipality uses nicarbazin, an authorized anti-fertilization active ingredient. The drug inhibits the fertility of eggs in a temporary and reversible way, ensuring maximum safety for the environment, humans and other animal species.
Targeted sterilization
“The numbers speak clearly: we have moved from a critical situation to virtuous management of the territory – declares the councilor for the Environment and Protection of Animal Welfare, Laura Laviano –. Our objective has never been the elimination of pigeons, but the containment of a ‘gone feral’ population which, finding abundant food and ideal shelters in our historic buildings, risked compromising the healthiness and decorum of the city. We have chosen the path of responsibility: not culling, but targeted and scientific sterilization. This plan allows us to protect our monuments from the corrosive damage of guano and drastically reduce health risks, while ensuring respect for animals. I thank the Environment Office for the meticulous georeferencing and monitoring work which allowed us to intervene with surgical precision where the colonies were densest”.
The mapping
The success of the plan is the result of widespread mapping. The technical staff carried out 5 systematic censuses, dividing the historic center into 5 zones and georeferencing each sighting and the points of greatest contamination. The distribution of the treated feed takes place at dawn, under close supervision, in strategic points: in the historic center in piazzas Libertà, Strambi, Mazzini, Vittorio Veneto and the Emiciclo Garibaldi while in the external areas in via Aleandri, viale Piave, piazzale della Stazione, Garibaldi monument, via Roma (civ. 395), via Campanile and Fonte Maggiore.
The external locations were identified by analyzing the movement dynamics of the birds, since often the breeding habitats do not coincide with the feeding ones.
The collaboration of residents
The Administration underlines that the effectiveness of pharmacological treatment depends largely on the collaboration of residents. It is essential to avoid the spontaneous administration of food (waste or birdseed), since the presence of alternative food sources nullifies the intake of the treated feed.
For the future, the Municipality intends to continue along this line, keeping annual censuses and awareness campaigns active. The objective remains the prevention of new uncontrolled proliferations, ensuring harmonious coexistence between citizens and urban fauna.
