Reports suggest pigeons at one of London’s best-known markets could be shot tomorrow morning. Borough Market must intervene and choose humane, lasting solutions instead.
Protect the Wild is calling on Borough Market’s management to cancel any planned cull immediately and commit to humane, non-lethal methods of managing pigeons at the site.
These birds should not be killed simply because their presence has become inconvenient.
Sign the petition
Shooting is cruel and it will not solve the “problem”
Not every bird that is shot will necessarily die instantly. Some may be wounded and left to suffer, while nesting adults could be killed with dependent chicks still waiting nearby to be fed. Those chicks may then be left to starve.
But even setting aside the cruelty, shooting is not a meaningful long-term solution.
Pigeons gather where they can find food, shelter and suitable nesting sites. Killing the birds currently occupying an area does nothing to remove those underlying conditions. Unless access to food waste and nesting locations is properly addressed, other pigeons are likely to move into the space that has been created.
The killing may therefore continue, while the supposed “problem” remains.
Humane alternatives are available
There are practical and sustainable ways to manage pigeon populations without resorting to violence.
These can include:
- Improving waste management and preventing access to discarded food
- Securing food sources around the market
- Using appropriate non-lethal deterrents
- Working with experienced wildlife-management organisations
A responsible management plan should focus on why pigeons are gathering at Borough Market, rather than simply killing the animals themselves.
Sign the petition
Borough Market should live up to its values
Allowing pigeons to be shot on its premises would be deeply distressing to many visitors, traders and members of the public. It would also risk serious damage to the market’s reputation.
People do not expect to visit one of London’s most famous food markets and discover that wildlife is being killed there.
We are asking Borough Market to act now
- Cancel any planned shooting of pigeons
- Confirm publicly that no cull will take place
- Consult qualified wildlife organisations about humane, sustainable alternatives
- Adopt a permanent policy against lethal pigeon control at Borough Market
Pigeons are intelligent, social animals. They are not disposable, and they should not be condemned to death because humans have created an environment in which they can thrive.
Borough Market still has an opportunity to make the compassionate choice.
It must cancel the shooting and commit to a genuinely humane solution.
Please add your name to our petition letter and urge Borough Market to protect these pigeons before it is too late.