Gurgaon has begun to face a dangerous situation thanks to the burgeoning population of pigeons in the city. The absence of natural predators that hunt pigeons has resulted in this imbalance. The absence of eagles, kestrels, and falcons from the vicinity has allowed the pigeon population to increase exponentially. What exacerbates this problem is the culture of feeding pigeons in residential areas, highrise buildings, and even office complexes.
Unfortunately, like bats, pigeons can also be carriers of viruses and germs that can infect human beings who live near them. Pigeon droppings can contain a deadly mixture of germs, viruses, and toxic substances. Tiny particles from the pigeon droppings float in the air, infecting vulnerable children and the elderly, entering their lungs, and spreading infection there. Tiny feathers and hairs from feathers might worsen things even more for those who are asthmatic and have breathing problems.
It is high time people learned about the risks of feeding pigeons in their vicinity. It is also time that the people in power found out ways to tackle the menace of pigeons in the city. Pigeon droppings and feathers when inhaled can cause fungal diseases like Histoplasmosis, Cryptococcosis, Candidiasis, bacterial diseases like Psittacosis, and avian tuberculosis, besides causing bird flu. It would be interesting to study if the increasing incidence of bird flu cases might not be the result of increasing numbers of pigeons in residential areas.
Pigeon droppings and feathers when inhaled can also affect the liver and spleen besides causing high fever, pneumonia, blood abnormalities, and influenza. Pigeon poop can cause more than sixty diseases. Pigeons excrete nitrogenous waste in the form of uric acid instead of urea and ammonia which promote the growth of fungi.
The best one can do to avoid cross-infection is to install bird nets, clean balconies and open spaces, and most important of all, stop feeding pigeons.
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