Use of Fertility Control (Nicarbazin) in Barcelona : an Effective yet Respectful Method towards Animal Welfare for the Management of Conflictive Feral Pigeon Colonies
González-Crespo, Carlos (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals)
Lavín González, Santiago (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge)

Data:	2022
Resum:	This study describes a three-year evaluation (2017-2019) of a fertility control protocol using nicarbazin (Ovistop®) to reduce the abundance of the most conflictive colonies of feral pigeon, Columba livia var. domestica, in Barcelona, Spain, as a long-term strategy based on animal welfare. The treatment was supplied to 34 pigeon colonies by automatic hopper feeders installed in public areas. A superiority study and a population monitoring study were carried out to evaluate differences in the abundance of the colonies, as well as the proportion of juveniles, the possible intake of nicarbazin by non-target species and the movement of individuals among colonies. The results showed statistical differences in the population trends between the test (−22. 03%) and control (+12. 86%) groups, and a significant steady decreasing trend in the pigeon abundance (−55. 26%) was registered until the end of 2019. The proportion of juveniles was significatively lower in the test colonies, and a non-target species (Eurasian collared doves, Streptopelia decaocto) was observed consuming in a residual form. The protocol using nicarbazin is able to both control the abundance of pigeons, with no impact over non-target species, and respond to the public interest about animal welfare by providing an ethical method to manage overabundant and/or conflictive populations.
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; Versió publicada
Matèria:	Animal welfare ; Columba livia var. domestica ; Control ; Ethics ; Management ; Nicarbazin ; Pigeon ; Reduction ; Urban
Publicat a:	Animals, Vol. 12 Núm. 7 (March 2022) , art. 856, ISSN 2076-2615

DOI: 10.3390/ani12070856
PMID: 35405845

16 p, 3.8 MB

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