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The tradition of pigeon feeding in Venice's St. Mark's Square is over
It is now illegal to feed the pigeons in Venice's St. Mark's Square, or anywhere else in the city for that matter.Venice's avian crackdown, which went into effect on Wednesday, joins the likes of London's and New York's, where it's been against the law to feed pigeons for some time now. But it's difficult to name a city that has a closer connection with the "winged rat" than Venice: Who hasn't imagined walking across St. Mark's early in the morning with no one around ("Yeah right!" you say of Venice) and scattering pigeons, which take flight in a rush of wings that do not quite drone out the chimes from a nearby bell tower.
Of course, you can still scatter the pigeons, I guess -- there are an estimated 40,000 living in Venice. But feeding them is going to cost you a 50 euro fine (around $75)
Naturally, the dozen or so vendors in St. Mark's Square who made their living selling breadcrumbs to tourists who wanted pigeon-laden snapshots are angry at the city's mayor for imposing the crackdown, saying they've been catering to this particular niche in Venice's tourist market for more than a century.
What do you think? Is banning pigeon feeding silly or practical? Do places like St. Mark's and Trafalgar Square in London lose something by such laws?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
holly May 9th 2008 4:13PM
I'd say they should have done that a long time ago.
kpilker May 9th 2008 6:40PM
My question is why. Is it because people are feeding the pigeons food that harms them? Are the droppings of the birds becomming a health hazard?
Chris May 9th 2008 11:26PM
So now it's against the law to feed these critters who have become so dependent on human hand-outs....does anyone give a crap that maybe now most of them will starve to death?
coldH2Owi May 10th 2008 8:02AM
I used to keep pigeons, for hunting dog training. I didn't shoot the birds, they were homing pigeons so I was able to reuse them without killing any. IMHO, I'm glad about the ban. Anyone who has kept any sort of bird knows one thing: they produce a lot of crap. I've always though of that square & how it is that you don't see at least a few people sprawled out on the keisters from slipping on the bird droppings. Heck, I've done with only keeping about 50 pigeons & that's with wood shavings on the floor. & don't worry, pigeons are resourceful creatures, they'll move on to a city who hasn't passed this type of ordinance.
Don K May 12th 2008 3:32PM
My childhood consists of iconic pictures and memories of St Marks Square (which my brother affectionately called Pigeon Square) and feeding these obviously detested birds. A picture lives on in my parents home of a pigeon perched atop his head.
A tradition sadly ends.
Tine May 26th 2008 3:47AM
The pigeons were my favorite memory of Venice, and my best reason to return there. So now: No more Venice holidays for me...