Canadian News, Environment

2,300 pigeons killed, 635,000 kg of bird poop cleared in bridge fix: Saskatoon

By FWH Online

SASKATOON — The City of Saskatoon says about 2,300 pigeons have been killed as part of a project to rehabilitate a major bridge.

The city says the dead birds have been removed from the Senator Sid Buckwold Bridge along with 635,000 kilograms of pigeon poop.

The Senator Sid Buckwold Bridge is shown in Saskatoon, Sask. The City of Saskatoon says that for the past 50 years one of its bridges has accumulated nearly 350 tonnes of pigeon feces. It says those piles equal to roughly 230 cars sitting parked on the bridge.
(Photo grab from FB)

It says the birds and the poop had to go because they posed a health risk and the weight of the droppings — equivalent to 356 medium−sized vehicles — could compromise the structure of the bridge.

The city says a specialized pest control company was hired to trap and humanely euthanize the pigeons and barriers are now in place to prevent birds from roosting in the same areas again.

Killing the birds, removing the droppings and building the barriers cost $800,000.

The bridge was completed in 1966 and spans the South Saskatchewan River. (CTV Saskatoon, The Canadian Press)

The Canadian Press

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