The Taipei City Government warned its residents yesterday not to feed pigeons in public spaces and said it had fined three individuals in June for ignoring the regulation in Da-an Park.
Each individual was fined NT$1,200 by the city’s Environmental Protection Department for feeding pigeons in Da-an Park despite being told by patrol officers to refrain from doing so.
Kuo Wen-chun (郭文俊), chief of the department’s inspection team, said the feeding of pigeons in Da-an Park, at Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall and other public spaces attracts large flocks of the birds, which affects the quality of life of nearby residents and caused concerns over the birds’ impact on the environment.
In the wake of increasing complaints by residents near Da-an Park about the number of pigeons in the park, in May the department redoubled its inspection efforts to persuade the public to avoid feeding pigeons and other wild birds, Kuo said.
The department sent patrols to Da-an Park and other public spaces every day and issued warnings to those who were caught feeding pigeons and other wild birds.
If they ignored the warnings and continued feeding the birds, they faced a fine of up to NT$6,000 for violating the National Waste Disposal Law (廢棄物清理法), he said.
Liang Hung-lang (梁宏郎), a division chief at the department, said a total of 13 individuals were fined for feeding pigeons last year.
Wong Wing-wai (王永衛), director of the city’s Division for Disease Control and Prevention, said that every pigeon produces about 12kg of droppings per year, adding that pigeon feces contains Cryptococcus neoformans, a kind of fungus that can cause pneumonia and meningitis.
Liang said the city government would put up a sign in major parks to call on residents not to feed pigeons.
The department will step up patrolling efforts in Da-an Park and at the memorial hall, he said.
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