PIGEON PILL: Pesky birds in Spain’s Cadiz to be slipped contraceptives in food to control numbers

PIGEONS in Cadiz will be given contraceptive pills in a bid to control their population sizes, it has emerged.

The City Council had planned to ship 5,000 of the pests to Valencia, but has now said it will install two dispensers with contraceptive feed.

Tourist hotspot Plaza de la Catedral is one of the worst-affected areas.

Ecologists estimate that in Cadiz, a city of 115,000, there are around 10,000 pigeons.

“It is a good agreement, there is zero sacrifice and no extermination,” said Daniel Lopez, of green group Ecologistas en Accion.

He added: “Pigeons are part of the urban habitat and have come to stay, but it is true that the population is excessive.”