The City of Dauphin will soon start a three year pilot project, in partnership with Orkin Canada, to control the downtown pigeon population.
In a Facebook post, the City says over the next few weeks, residents can expect the City to start cleaning up rooftops for installation of Orkin feeding stations for pigeons.
The pilot program will make use of Orkin's OvoControl fertility-control system. It works by feeding pigeons pellets, which are too large for other birds, that prevent pigeon eggs from hatching. The City wants to stress it's not an overnight fix to the problem, and will take time. Similar programs show that reductions in pigeon populations usually start to be noticed within the first year of the program.
The City of Dauphin will also start a short-term trapping program to help reduce the initial number of pigeons. With OvoControl programs showing a reduction of 50% of pigeon populations in the first year, lower initial numbers means an even lower number of pigeons after the first year.
