Bergheim fights against ring-necked parakeets: scare planned!

Bergheim fights against ring-necked parakeets: scare planned!

The city of Bergheim has clear plans: the ring-necked parakeets in Fliesteden should be discouraged. According to information from the Review online The local mayor Elisabeth Hülsewig and the department head Andrea Lehmann-Pedyna confirmed this measure. The reason for this is numerous complaints from residents who complain about bird droppings on playground equipment, paths and terraces. The noises of the parakeets are also annoying, especially in the morning from 5 a.m. and in the evening from 8 p.m.

The city has already responded by shortening cleaning intervals and considering installing awnings. Initially, however, the city did not see any further measures as necessary and referred to the responsibility of the Rhein-Erft district. He explained that the city could take action if there was severe contamination. So Bergheim contacted a falconer from Erftstadt and is planning to use a bird of prey on Tuesday, August 26th. The aim is to scare the parakeets away to another location using the smell of a natural enemy.

The situation in Cologne

Similar considerations are also spreading in Cologne. Loud Deutschlandfunk Over 1,000 ring-necked parakeets gather there in the evenings on a roost on Rheinuferstrasse. Here too, residents suffer from noise and pollution. In addition, a citizen built a firecracker system to scare away the birds, which worked for a short time, but kept the parakeets coming back.

The location at Rheinauhafen seems to be ideal for the birds as it offers a large flight path and is also characterized by illuminated advertising and a lot of car traffic. These conditions keep birds of prey away. Conservationists warn that scaring away the parakeets represents a shift in the problem. Some even advocate simply allowing the parakeets to tolerate and coexist peacefully.

Criticism of the embarrassment

The discussion about scaring away ring-necked parakeets is also controversial in Cologne. Loud Cologne City Gazette The birds have been native to Cologne for almost 40 years. Complaints from residents, especially on Dreikönigenstrasse, mean that the city council and the environmental committee are now looking for solutions. A compromise between the needs of local residents and animal protection was found in the form of deterrence measures.

However, the ornithologist Achim Kemper from NABU is critical and calls for the period for deterrence measures to be extended to five to ten years, as these only promise short-term success. Other voices, such as that of veterinarian Claudia Behlert, also warn that deterrence is not a sustainable solution. Politicians hope that the birds will find a new place to sleep without continuing to bother local residents.

So the topic of ring-necked parakeets seems to be affecting people in both Bergheim and Cologne. It remains to be seen whether a long-term solution will be found.