CUTTING OFF THE SEED SUPPLY
Venice to Ban Pigeon Feeders from St. Mark's Square
Venice and pigeons seem to go together hand in wing. But health concerns and fears that pigeon droppings are eroding landmarks in St. Mark's Square have motivated city leaders to seek a ban on birdseed in the city's famous plaza.
DPA
Get it while you can: Venetian leaders want to ban pigeon feeding in St. Mark's Square.
For many people, the pigeons of St. Mark's Square are as inseparable from Venice's mystique as the enigmatic gondolas that cruise the city's canals.
"Pigeons can get away with almost anything in Venice," the British travel writer Jan Morris wrote in 1960. "Sometimes you will see one, all puffed up with pride, swaggering into the narthex of the Basilica di San Marco itself."
But those proud pigeons could soon have their wings clipped -- figuratively speaking -- if the city succeeds in removing birdseed vendors from St. Mark's Square.
"We're prepared to pay what it takes to get the vendors out of the square," city councilor Beppe Caccia told the Italian news service ANSA. "Compensation will be calculated on the basis of how long a vendor, or vendor's family, has been there and how much the business is worth."
Vendors, meanwhile, say the birds are harmless and resent what they see as an assault on their livelihood. "It's absurd to take away our jobs like this. We have to live," one licensed vendor told ANSA. Vendors have insisted that they be compensated for the loss of their businesses or be given souvenirs to sell elsewhere in the city.
The feud between politicians and the square's birdseed vendors had long languished in an Italian court of appeals until this week, when city officials announced that they had reached a deal to settle out of court. However, it is not yet clear how the city is planning to compensate the vendors.
City leaders turned against the ubiquitous winged Venetians in recent years as the bird population reached critical mass. In fact, a pair of pigeons can produce up to 12 chicks a year, and today there are 120,000 pigeons infesting Venice, twice the number of humans.
In 1997, the city council made feeding pigeons a crime punishable by a fine of over 500 euros ($726) -- except in St. Mark's Square. There, 18 licensed street vendors were allowed to continue selling bags of birdseed to the tens of millions of tourists flowing through the sinking city each year.
But a series of recent scientific studies prompted city leaders to reconsider the exemption for St. Mark's Square. Research has proven that pigeons often carry parasites and bacteria and that proximity to the winged vermin can cause allergies and illnesses, particularly in children and the elderly. More recently, city officials have asserted that pigeon droppings are eroding historic facades and flagstones in St. Mark's Square.
Venice to Ban Pigeon Feeders from St. Mark's Square
Venice and pigeons seem to go together hand in wing. But health concerns and fears that pigeon droppings are eroding landmarks in St. Mark's Square have motivated city leaders to seek a ban on birdseed in the city's famous plaza.
DPAGet it while you can: Venetian leaders want to ban pigeon feeding in St. Mark's Square.
For many people, the pigeons of St. Mark's Square are as inseparable from Venice's mystique as the enigmatic gondolas that cruise the city's canals.
"Pigeons can get away with almost anything in Venice," the British travel writer Jan Morris wrote in 1960. "Sometimes you will see one, all puffed up with pride, swaggering into the narthex of the Basilica di San Marco itself."
But those proud pigeons could soon have their wings clipped -- figuratively speaking -- if the city succeeds in removing birdseed vendors from St. Mark's Square.
"We're prepared to pay what it takes to get the vendors out of the square," city councilor Beppe Caccia told the Italian news service ANSA. "Compensation will be calculated on the basis of how long a vendor, or vendor's family, has been there and how much the business is worth."
Vendors, meanwhile, say the birds are harmless and resent what they see as an assault on their livelihood. "It's absurd to take away our jobs like this. We have to live," one licensed vendor told ANSA. Vendors have insisted that they be compensated for the loss of their businesses or be given souvenirs to sell elsewhere in the city.
The feud between politicians and the square's birdseed vendors had long languished in an Italian court of appeals until this week, when city officials announced that they had reached a deal to settle out of court. However, it is not yet clear how the city is planning to compensate the vendors.
City leaders turned against the ubiquitous winged Venetians in recent years as the bird population reached critical mass. In fact, a pair of pigeons can produce up to 12 chicks a year, and today there are 120,000 pigeons infesting Venice, twice the number of humans.
In 1997, the city council made feeding pigeons a crime punishable by a fine of over 500 euros ($726) -- except in St. Mark's Square. There, 18 licensed street vendors were allowed to continue selling bags of birdseed to the tens of millions of tourists flowing through the sinking city each year.
But a series of recent scientific studies prompted city leaders to reconsider the exemption for St. Mark's Square. Research has proven that pigeons often carry parasites and bacteria and that proximity to the winged vermin can cause allergies and illnesses, particularly in children and the elderly. More recently, city officials have asserted that pigeon droppings are eroding historic facades and flagstones in St. Mark's Square.
"I have a mustard- seed; and I am not afraid to use it."
[Ratzinger:"Salt of the Earth"]
May Our Papa's radiant-light continuously shine forth to illuminate Christ for the world!
[Ratzinger:"Salt of the Earth"]
May Our Papa's radiant-light continuously shine forth to illuminate Christ for the world!
