Pigeons on the pill: BC Transit system tries birth control to tackle bird problem

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – After multiple attempts to control the pigeon population at SkyTrain stations, TransLink is now turning to birth control as an effort to manage the numbers.

The transportation authority has partnered with the BC SPCA for the pilot project, which includes a food dispenser that will dispense food and small doses of the medication OvoControl at VCC-Clark SkyTrain station.

“It’s bait contraception that’s designed specifically for birds and it’s been designed for pigeons because of the way that they eat off of the ground,” said Dr. Sara Dubois with the BC SPCA. So it’s going to be distributed twice a day and as long as they have 5 gm a day ingested, which is only a small portion of what they actually eat, then they would actually be rendered unable to produce fertilized eggs.”

Dubois says pigeons will still behave naturally, mate and lay eggs, but they won’t be viable.

“Over time, it can decrease the pigeon population by 50 per cent every year in the areas that we put out. There have been some really great studies in Italy and the U.S,” she said, adding once pigeons stop taking the medication they will become fertile again.

The pellets, which look like grain, are non-toxic for humans and other animals, Dubois said, adding they won’t have a negative effect if they are accidentally eaten or if it made it to a water supply. The medication is designed to specifically target pigeons so it should not impact other birds who eat pigeons.

OvoControl pellets that will be fed to the pigeons. (Credit: TransLink)

Jill Drews with TransLink says nothing else they’ve tried has worked so far.

“We’ve been dealing with robust pigeon populations at some of our stations for a while now, we’ve tried a lot of things, we’ve tried spike belts, we’ve tried netting, we have tried having a falcon come through to try to get the pigeons going but they persist,” Drews said. “So the SPCA actually approached us with this new idea.”

She says the product was approved in Canada over a year ago and adds it’s a humane way of reducing the population.

RELATED: TransLink trying to ward off pigeon problem ahead of new SkyTrain platform opening

According to the BC SPCA the entire set up costs less than a $1,000 per station.

“The product itself is fairly inexpensive,” Dubois said. “When you calculate the amount of time they spend cleaning and the amount of downtime they have on the trains for maintenance it’s a fraction of the cost that what’s costing TransLink right now to manage the pigeon population.”

The transit provider says not only are the bird’s feces unsightly, corrosive and a health hazard, the birds themselves can also trip sensors on the SkyTrain lines, bringing trains to a halt.