KUCHING, Dec 6: Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) is urging the public to refrain from feeding domesticated pigeons, including in the vicinity of Kuching Waterfront, as the food may not be suitable for the birds’ health and well-being.
DBKU Mayor Hilmy Othman made this plea following a fatal incident on Aug 2 along the park near Gambier Street in which 41 pigeons died, possibly due to poisoning.
“As far as the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) is concerned, it might be because of poisoning.
“While there are limitations of the city council in addressing the issue directly, however we are on the lookout for such a matter and efforts are being made to prevent the recurrence of such incidents,” he told a press conference after officiating at the World Toilet Day seminar at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) yesterday (Dec 5).
Noting that the public’s good intentions in feeding the pigeons to support their survival, Hilmi however cautioned against assuming that human food is suitable for birds as it could do more harm than good.
“By feeding the pigeons something that we eat, but they (food) may not be suitable for them.
“Therefore, I urge and look forward to the public’s cooperation on this issue and avoid unnecessary feeding, particularly around the Kuching Waterfront area,” he advised.
While the recent incident might be an isolated case, Hilmy hoped that similar occurrences can be prevented in the future.
The distressing incident on Aug 2, 2023 saw numerous lifeless pigeons discovered by the public, fallen from trees along Gambier Street.
In response, DBKU promptly cordoned off the area, and officers from Sarawak Forestry Corporation collected 41 bird carcasses with some looking debilitated and exhibiting signs of distress ssuch as foaming at the beak, for laboratory testing. — DayakDaily
