The recent half approval in the Santa Fe Senate of a bill seeking to declare pigeons as a plague has generated an intense conflict between the provincial government and animal defense organizations.
The initiative aims to implement a population control program to reduce the proliferation of these birds, but protectionist groups warn that the measure could lead to lethal methods and open a “no return” path.
The bill and its scope
The file, sent to the provincial Chamber of Deputies for consideration, establishes the creation of a provincial management and prevention plan in response to the overpopulation of pigeons and other similar species.
The proposal allows the Ministry of Productive Development to sign agreements with national agencies, research institutes, municipalities, universities, agricultural entities, and NGOs to coordinate joint actions.
The defense of the initiative
The senator for the San Justo Department, Rodrigo Borla, defended the project and assured that a sustained and environmentally sustainable work scheme is sought.
“We are looking for an environmentally sustainable system. We are not going out tomorrow to kill them all,” he stated in an interview with LT8.
Borla acknowledged that the pigeon “is part of the food chain,” but emphasized that solving the problem “is not easy,” even after various attempts implemented by municipalities and rural producers.
Among the measures, he mentioned a repellent developed by INTA, although he clarified that it has not yielded the expected results. Therefore, he proposed the need to bring together technical teams at a common table to define joint strategies.
Rejection from protectionist organizations
The half approval raised alarms in associations dedicated to animal defense.
Rosalia Aurascoff, coordinator of Encuentro Proteccionista and member of the Advisory Council of the Rosario Municipal Council, expressed her rejection:
“If approved, it will become a very serious problem for the province and municipalities. When extermination becomes public policy, it opens paths with no return.”
Aurascoff argued that any intervention must be based on ethical, scientific, and territorial management criteria and rejected the possibility of applying lethal methods. She also recalled that the expansion of pigeons is linked to the transformation of the environment and the loss of natural habitat.
She also warned that the project “goes against Article 41 of the National Constitution” and various national and provincial animal protection laws.
Proposed alternatives
As an alternative, organizations suggest first conducting a survey of populations and habits of the birds. Among the available tools, they mention the use of nicarbazin-based contraceptives, a method already applied in Rosario that interrupts the fertility of eggs without affecting other species.
This system can be applied in both urban and rural areas, offering a non-invasive solution with less environmental impact.
Repudiation from Protectora Santa Fe
The association Protectora Santa Fe also expressed its repudiation through a social media post:
“We firmly repudiate any initiative against animals that only aims to address the consequences, with unethical extermination solutions and even ineffective ones.”
The organization emphasized that the increase in the presence of many species is directly related to deforestation, disorderly urbanization, burning of grasslands, and the advance of agricultural exploitation, factors that force birds to move to survive.
The project to declare pigeons a plague in Santa Fe has opened a deep debate on urban fauna management. While the provincial government defends the need for a population control plan, protectionist organizations warn about the risks of enabling extermination policies and propose ethical and scientific alternatives.
The discussion will now move to the Chamber of Deputies, where it will be decided whether the initiative advances towards becoming law or if more biodiversity-respectful control mechanisms are incorporated.
