Save the Trafalgar Square Pigeons (also known as STTSP) is an organisation that claims to oppose cruelty to wild birds, especially

pigeons Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

, in

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson commemo ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

since the organisation's creation in 2000.

History

The group was formed in 2000 when

Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born 17 June 1945) is an English politician who served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the council was abolished in 1986, and as Mayor of London from the creation of the office i ...

Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the 1998 Greater London Authority referendum, Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first Directly elected may ...

tried to reduce the number of pigeons in Trafalgar Square. These reductions were to be made by a number of techniques, including the removal of the Trafalgar Square

bird food Bird food or bird seed is food (often varieties of seeds, nuts, and/or dried fruits) intended for consumption by wild and domestic birds. While most bird food is fed to commercial fowl (such as chicken or turkey), bird food is also used to fee ...

seller's licence. While feeding was still legal, feeders alleged that they were subjected to a period of intimidatory harassment in late October–early December 2002, during the course of which a

Harris's Hawk The Harris's hawk (''Parabuteo unicinctus''), formerly known as the bay-winged hawk, dusky hawk, and sometimes a wolf hawk, and known in Latin America as peuco, is a medium-large bird of prey that breeds from the southwestern United States south ...

was also introduced.

Argument

STTSP argued that completely removing the birds' food was cruel and would lead to a large number of them dying of starvation. They said that reducing the birds' food source over a longer time scale would result in the reduction of the population as they would have to find an alternative food source. Ken Livingstone claimed that the reduction in the number of birds in the Square was to create a "more pleasant environment." In the run up to the ban Trafalgar Square had undergone a £25 million renovation and £140,000 worth of damage had been caused to

Nelson's Column Nelson's Column is a monument in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, Central London, built to commemorate Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson's decisive victory at the Battle of Trafalgar over the combined French and Spanish navies, during whic ...

as a result of bird droppings.

Agreement

Following the alleged period of harassment STTSP eventually went into an agreement with the

Greater London Authority The Greater London Authority (GLA), colloquially known by the metonym "City Hall", is the devolved regional governance body of Greater London. It consists of two political branches: the executive Mayoralty (currently led by Sadiq Khan) and the ...

in that there would be a reduction in bird numbers so long as this was carried out through non-cruel means, via food reduction instead of starvation. The group were then allowed to feed the birds at 7:30 a.m. once a day. This approach saw a reduction in bird numbers in Trafalgar Square from 4000 to around 200. This restriction was to last until October 2008.

Agreement rescinded

In 2003 Ken Livingstone and the GLA rescinded their agreement with STTSP and made it illegal for anyone to feed the birds in Trafalgar Square; the penalty for doing so was set at £50. On 10 September 2007 bye-laws were secured that ensured bird feeding was banned throughout the entire square and surrounding areas, with a higher fine of £500 if this law was broken.

References

{{reflist Environmental organisations based in the United Kingdom Organizations established in 2000 2000 establishments in England Trafalgar Square Columbidae