EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) —  Local animal advocates are sounding the alarm over pigeon trapping practices in El Paso, accusing trappers of animal cruelty while the trappers maintain they are providing a necessary—and entirely legal—pest control service.

Advocates say groups of people are using large nets to round up pigeons from nests under freeway overpasses and on private properties across the city. The practice is raising serious questions about the safety and treatment of the animals.

Josie Karam, a Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator with Second Chance Wildlife Rescue, is among those raising red flags. Pointing to images of overcrowded cages, advocates are questioning whether the captured birds are being fed and alleging that chicks are being left behind to die painful deaths.

“These guys are just eradicating all the groups of pigeons that they can find. And I think that’s morally wrong,” Karam said. “They’re abandoning the babies. The babies cannot survive without their parents. They need [them] for warmth. They need them for food.”

Beyond the allegations of cruelty, Karam shared ecological concerns, explaining that removing pigeons disrupts the food chain for local birds of prey.

“They are very important to the ecosystem, and this is what people don’t understand,” Karam said. “They see pigeons as dirty little animals. They poop too much. They’re all over the roofs. They come up with all these excuses, but they don’t see them as a very natural food source.”

On the other side of the debate is Juan Ortiz, a local pigeon remover whose truck bed shown in an image carrying hundreds of the birds was used by advocates to base their concerns. Ortiz says he captures and removes pigeons specifically at the request of local businesses and property owners.

“Pigeons create thousands of dollars in damages. Some people can not go on their roof and take a look and clean,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz describes himself as a pigeon fancier and an animal lover, but he considers the common pigeon a “plague” to the region. He said he holds a hunting license that legally allows him to capture the birds.

“They’re an invasive species. They are not native. Europeans brought them here for food… “[They are] classified as a pest by the state, not by me,” Ortiz said.

According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, trapping pigeons is legal provided the trapper has a hunting license and the landowner’s permission. Because rock doves, or common pigeons, are an invasive, non-native species, they have no state or federal protection. This means they can be killed, and their nests destroyed, at any time.

Despite this, Ortiz says he doesn’t kill the birds he captures. He claims he feeds them and keeps them housed in corrals before selling them.

“I’ll take care of them. I’m an animal lover. I’m not an animal abuser. That’s the wrong thing. They just want to talk, that I’m an animal abuser. But they don’t know me,” Ortiz said.

Despite current standing laws, local advocates are urging city and county leaders to pass an ordinance that would help regulate the business of pigeon trapping. They are also demanding changes to state and federal laws to offer the birds more protection.

Meanwhile the City of El Paso offered the following statement:

“The City is aware of the concerns raised about reported pigeon trapping activity and City staff have shared applicable information and agency contacts with those who reached out. Wildlife management is primarily regulated at the state and federal levels. Under Texas Parks and Wildlife regulations, pigeons (Rock Doves) are classified as unprotected nongame birds and are not covered by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Regardless, Texas Penal Code 42.092 prohibits cruelty to animals, including unprotected species.”

While state statutes do view the common pigeon as a nuisance pest due to property damage caused by their acidic droppings and their potential to transmit disease, the Texas Invasive Species Institute notes that these pigeons do not negatively affect native bird species, thereby not posing a broader ecological threat.

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