Pigeons Are Mumbaikars Too: PETA India Protests Ban On Kabutar Khana

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has joined the cause to save Mumbai’s kabutar khanas by erecting billboards against the drive to ban pigeon feeding in the city. PETA India also claimed that the risk of diseases being spread from pigeons to humans is extremely low.

Using its widely known billboard campaign, PETA India has raised voice for the pigeons of Mumbai which are facing threat from the state as it plans to ban feeding of the innocent birds. The NGO has erected billboards at Dadar kabutar khana, where the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation carried out a drive to remove encroachments from the feeding spot, as well as Lokhandwala market in Andheri (W).

The billboards feature a mother pigeon nesting with her chicks, honouring mother pigeons as mums and Mumbaikars, reminding fellow Mumbaikars that pigeons are just as much a part of this city as their human neighbours. It also aims to convey that these birds are just as sensitive and deserving of respect as the dogs, cats, and other animals who share the streets.

According to PETA India, pigeons are considered very good parents with males and females sharing incubation and brooding duties. A 10-year study of pigeon flight patterns above roads designed by humans conducted at Oxford University found that the birds rely more on their knowledge of human transport routes than on their internal magnetic compasses.

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Dr. Mini Aravindan, PETA India’s director of veterinary services, said, “Mother pigeons, just like human mothers, are extremely attentive to their young ones. Pigeons are thinking, feeling animals, and like humans, they don’t want to be harassed on the streets. PETA India urges everyone to consider pigeons are no different from other Mumbaikars surviving and thriving and raising their families in the city, and they deserve respect.” 

PETA India pointed out that common rock pigeons are native to India while many were brought over by Europeans to “eat and shoot for fun.” It claimed that a review of studies and literature showed that the risk of them spreading diseases to humans is extremely low, even for people who have frequent close contact with them. It said that pigeons also seem generally resistant to bird flu and are highly unlikely to spread it.