Coun. Muri wants pigeons to be kept in cages all the time

District of North Vancouver council will decide this Monday if pigeon owners should be forced to keep their pet birds in cages or coop — at all times.

The council will debate a report brought forward by Councillor Lisa Muri on amending the ‘Keeping of Pigeons Bylaw to make way for caging. The district adopted the bylaw in 1971 to regulate the keeping of pigeons and doves. While keeping pigeons as pets isn’t quite common in the District, there have been documented cases of domestic pigeons perching, roosting, feeding and straying onto private property and public lands. This disturbs the peaceful enjoyment of home owners and residents, Muri says.

The current bylaw prohibits owners to allow pigeons or doves to perch, roost or nest upon property other than the owners’. They are not allowed to stray, feed or roost except on the owner’s property, or for the purpose of exercising or racing but under the owner’s control.

Pigeons flying over, roosting and defecating on private property and public lands, and pigeon food attracting rats and vermin are some of the problems Muri says needs to be addressed. “The Keeping of Pigeons bylaw should be amended to require kept pigeons to be enclosed within a coop or cage at all times,” she says.

Owners and keepers of pigeons should not allow or permit such pigeons to stray, perch, roost, nest, fly or feed outside of a suitable and fully enclosed coop or cage, she adds.

Muri also calls for amending the bylaw to include regulations on the number of pigeons allowed, enclosure standards, pest control and permitting. The bylaw could follow the lead of Keeping of Domestic Hens Bylaw on these standards. The bylaw, she adds in conclusion, needs to be amended because pigeons have disturbed adjacent property owners.