THIS PETITION WAS CLOSED BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT OF MALTA DOESN'T ACKNOWLEDGE PETITIONS OUTSIDE OF THEIR WEBSITE. 

NEW PETITION: https://parlament.mt/en/petition/?id=311&page=9&itemsPerPage=10

📢 Petition to End Inhumane Pigeon Culling in Malta and Adopt Humane Population Control Methods

''Killing pigeons is not population control. It's a failure of policy''- Vuci ghall-Annimali. 

Growing up, my love for pigeons was nurtured by the joy and peace they brought into my life. The current practice of trapping and culling pigeons in Malta deeply disturbs me.

Recent announcements from Maltese news outlets confirm that the Government has approved a programme to capture feral pigeons using lure cages and send them to the civil abattoir for slaughter as a method of population control. This approach has been coordinated between the Health Ministry and Agriculture Ministry, with the stated aim of addressing sanitation, infrastructure damage, and potential health concerns.

This is distressing because these methods are not only cruel, but also outdated scientifically. Animal welfare advocates have long argued that traditional culling — even when described as humane — inflicts unnecessary suffering and fails to address the root causes of overpopulation. Instead of solving the issue, lethal measures often provide only temporary relief and can lead to repeated cycles of killing without long-term population reduction.

 
Why Culling Is Not the Answer

Pigeons are sentient beings: They form social bonds, show care for their young, and are capable of experiencing suffering, yet the current policy treats them as disposable pests.

Culling doesn’t work long-term: Research has shown that lethal methods, like trapping or shooting, often fail to reduce pigeon populations sustainably because other pigeons quickly fill the ecological niche left behind.

Public sentiment is against cruelty: Many Maltese residents and animal rights groups have already voiced their concern about these measures and called for humane alternatives.
 
🌍 Proven Humane Alternatives That Work

There are compassionate, effective ways to manage pigeon populations, methods already tested in cities around the world.

🟡 1. Birth Control (Nicarbazin Protocols)

Cities such as Barcelona, Belgium municipalities, and parts of the USA and Canada have used fertility-control feed (nicarbazin or products like OvoControl®) that reduces reproduction without killing birds.

Barcelona’s long-term program reduced pigeon numbers by more than 50% over three years while respecting animal welfare.
Municipalities near Brussels reported up to ~40% declines, all without lethal methods.
This approach respects life while addressing population growth at the source, ethically and with measurable success.

🟢 2. Habitat and Behavioural Management

Non-lethal urban wildlife management includes:

Reducing food availability (discouraging feeding of pigeons).
Modifying roosting sites (using bird spikes or deterrents).
Educating the public about coexistence with wildlife.
These measures, combined with birth control, can significantly and humanely stabilize pigeon populations over time.

 
🌱 Why This Matters for Malta

Malta is famed worldwide for its beauty, heritage, and biodiversity. Our environmental values should reflect compassion, innovation, and respect for life, not resort to practices that harm innocent animals.

Pigeons are a part of Malta’s ecological and cultural landscape. They have coexisted with us for centuries. Contemporary science and humane wildlife management have moved beyond killing as a first response: we should too.

 
✍️ Join the Call for Change

We petition the Maltese Government to:

Immediately halt all pigeon culling and slaughter practices.

Implement humane, non-lethal population control strategies, including scientifically supported birth control programs.

Engage animal welfare experts, ecologists, and community groups in designing long-term, ethical urban wildlife management policies.

Launch public education campaigns to reduce feeding and human-induced pigeon congregation that fuels overpopulation issues.

Your signature could lead to a policy change that respects animal life and upholds Malta’s environmental values.

Stand with compassion. Support humane solutions for managing the pigeon population: WITHOUT CRUELTY. Sign this petition today. 

Image: Bernard Farrugia