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SLO puts its pigeons on birth control, stop the flies

October 23, 2019

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

To combat the large amount bird feces and flies in and around a downtown creek, the city of San Luis Obispo has decided to lure pigeons into going on birth control. [KSBY]

Hundreds of pigeons have created a sanctuary in a tunnel beside Mission Plaza, causing multiple environmental problems in downtown SLO, including contamination of the creek and an increasing amounts of flies. The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board has already cited the city for unhealthy levels of fecal bacteria in the creek.

In turn, the city has been training birds to eat from downtown feeders that have birth control in the food. City officials expect the downtown pigeon population to quickly decrease, as the pigeons currently living in the tunnel are not in a conducive habitat and have a shortened life expectancy.

City officials are working with Cal Poly to develop a spray for parts of downtown that will mitigate the fly problem. Many downtown shoppers have been frustrated with the amount of flies in the area.

The city consulted animal rights groups, including PETA, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife about the bird birth control plan.

While discussing the extent of the poop problem, City Biologist Freddy Otte said in an interview with KSBY that about 500 birds are living in the tunnel. Otte then claimed individual birds can produce the equivalent of 40 pounds of poop a day.

“If you think about a flock of 100 birds being able to produce about 4,000 pounds of poop every day, multiply that by five and you have a lot of pigeon poop going into the creek every day,” Otte said.

The interview segment that aired did not delve into how a single bird is able to produce 40 pounds of poop a day.


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Now wait just one frickin’ minute here, paaaalease?

Y’all are worried about, and object to, introducing something into the environment that could very possibly harm you, your children, the birds and the bees and the fishes in the sea? Are we havin’ a break through moment here?!! Are we witnessing the advent moment of enlightenment to a more eco-friendly crowd here on CCN where none has existed before?

Naaa, I’m just dreamin”…..


-5

ATF. Explain?


-1

I think ATF is saying we’re oil swilling, smoke belching, right wing rednecks, and we shouldn’t be against anything that hurts the environment. But I could be imagining it.


2

Appalling idea to administer Birth control to the pigeons! It is cruel, unnatural, and so wrong!! . Here is an idea: With all the money they get from the meters, how about , you know, “CLEANING ” up the city, with you know soap and water!!? Get rid of the pigeon’s food source block off their sleeping areas, they will Naturally mmve on! Stop having pointless weekly food festivals where they also serve beer. Drunk people will leave a mess. But, noo, instead let us be lazy and just give them birth control. They also blame the gnat problem tp bird poop. Bird poop dpes not create gnats! It is PROBABLY coming from the DOG poop, being pooped by dogs they allow to walk around the eateries. The city council wants to solve this problem by Spraying the gnats. Don’t be poisoning the citizens and pets of this town. Maybe a better idea would be to ban dogs from downtown altogether. That is not cruel, that is hygienic. Next city council meeting is November 5th. I plan on being there to stand up for the sake of our health and the health of these innocent pigeons, and other wildlife in the area.


3

Wait….is this pidgeon crap of bull crap?


A full grown cow produces around 150 lbs of dung per day. Nearly 4x as much as one of these little pidgeons. That’s why there are poop-drifts all over down town…..4 pidgeons produce as much poop as a cow!


Or, maybe our city biologist has the two mixed up?


22

“As a biologist, I see nothing wrong with putting these chemicals into our water supply…”


10

The next News Flash:


The Citizens of SLO are Sterile; County Gov. Wonders Why


22

Having grown up in SLO and lived with a truthful and unbiased and fair local/County Gov’t over my many years, that might not be a bad thing. Just sayin…….


Btw. I’m currently on my way out of this upside down State.


16

Will this make my cat go sterile?


17

Wait! SLO has a city biologist? Seriously?


29

Just another example of how idiots have taken over our city.


Otte once insisted before the city council that a development site that was full of a wide variety of wildlife had just raccoons and possums on it. A council member commented on all the deer poop observed. Must be mistaken, Otte said, just raccoons and possums, no deer. The guy’s a fish man, apparently gets lost on dry land or in the air.


Several years back city got rid of all the ducks kids could feed at Laguna Lake. Same cover story about bird poop. City seems to have poop on the mind an awful lot.


23

40 pounds a day per pigeon? BS! I searched the web and the consensus seems to be that they eat about 1/10 of their weight a day. So, maybe that’s a couple ounces of food? I don’t think 2 ounces of food can produce 640 ounces of poop!


San Luis Obispo Biologist, Freddy Otte is the one who made this claim. At first I thought KSBY misquoted him, but then I watched the video and those are his words.


Either I’m completely wrong or Mr Otte of full of poop.


36

Unless you have a degree in biology AND you’re not a climate denier AND you only vote for democrats…..you have no basis questioning the city’s biological expert.


How do you now that our local pidgeons don’t poop more than other pidgeons? Unless you meet all the qualifications I listed above, you can’t possibly know!


I am skeptical too….but then I’m a climate denier so my opinion not only doesn’t count….it’s dangerous and must be shouted down! (take a few seconds to denounce me here…….)


The important thing is to get the hormones into the birds and the creek. Then we’ll deal with what comes…..


On a side note: I wonder how widespread this practice is?


On yet another side note: I wonder why people today are sterile?


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