Silent air guns were used around St Luke's hospital last Sunday at around 7 am, according to an eyewitness who spoke to The Malta Independent.  This was later confirmed by local authorities who said that in all 70 pigeons were killed and sent to the Marsa incinerator.

The culling of feral pigeons around Malta has become common practice, as the ever-increasing number of these 'flying pests' has seen more and more outrage from local councils around the island.

Active culling especially in Hospitals including St. Luke's started as early as 2006. At a later date, during the bird flu' scare, more areas were included, Director General of rural development Mario Spiteri told The Malta Independent.

The new Parliament building in Valletta is an ideal spot for pigeon infestation, Dr Spiteri added.

"There are many nooks and crannies where these pigeons can nest. What's more, the stonework is not smooth, so one would need a power wash to keep it clean. I can't imagine people shooting these pigeons around the House of Parliament, so safeguards should be put in place. Electrified spikes to scare off pigeons is one such option," he said.

Contacted by this newsroom, the Ministry of Health gave their reasons for such action around St Luke's."The Department of Public Health received a multitude of complaints regarding dirt caused by pigeons which is considered to be detrimental to the community health in the St.Luke's hospital area. The Feral Pigeons Pest Control Section had been called to address this situation as per their normal procedure. During these last four years, this activity was carried out on around 20 occasions within the St. Luke's Hospital Area".

Dr Spiteri expanded on this explanation and said that on average, culling occurs around twice a week at various locations around the island, including dairy farms, animal feed mills and grain silos. "In England, they are called feathered rats".

The feral pigeons' control unit within the rural development department use silent guns with pellets that quickly disintegrate in order to humanely kill the birds. "In the past, certain instances saw poison laced feed being used by some local councils and individuals, however this was considered inhumane as the pigeons would suffer," Dr Spiteri continued.

In the late 80s and 90s, farms, particularly cattle farms, saw disease spread due to pigeon infestation and their excrement. "They are a health hazard," he said.

Limestone and stonework are also damaged due to excrement acidity, newly planted seeds eaten, and diseases spread are commonplace due to these birds.

The Director General also mentioned St Vincent de Paul, where elderly people have, in the past, suffered from rashes directly related to the dirt pigeons bring. "I receive many complaints from a number of local councils including G'Mangia, Rabat, Valletta, Sliema, Pieta, Gzira, St Julian's, XewkijaGozo and Mdina," he added.

Originally, pigeons were only culled near farms, however people began complaining of further infestation in habitable areas. Pigeons tend to breed more when food is abundant, and although most local councils have instituted by-laws fining people for feeding pigeons, it hasn't completely halted the practice, he argued.

"The police are always notified when a culling is to take place, and a police presence is usually there to put peoples mind at ease". This helps ensure that people don't automatically think illegal hunting is taking place, he added.

 "Now one might ask if there are better ways to deal with these pests. Trapping is one option, however you would only succeed in grabbing a few of the birds, the rest would escape and return later. Other options include the placement of spikes, however pigeons tend to lay their nests around them, and sound devices only work for a few days".

The Gzira local council has a problem with these feral birds. Mayor Roberto Cristiano is currently exploring options to deal with the situation. "One possible solution would be to lace food with contraceptives to prevent the laying of eggs," he argued.

However such methods would only be effective if the pigeons are in a fixed place as in the case of Trafalgar Square in London and they receive a regular dose of contraceptive. The local situation is very different and the pigeons are roaming about in search of food all over the islands, since some also visit Gozo and then return to their roosting areas in Malta.

Dr Spiteri's Directorate doesn't have the man power to completely bring under control the pigeon population at St Luke's with so many other problem areas arising around the Maltese islands and thus routine culling on a near monthly basis is carried out to keep the numbers manageable and also satisfy nearby local councils.