Venice vs pigeons

This item appears on page 91 of the April 2008 issue.

In yet another crackdown in Venice, Italy’s, St. Mark’s Square, the sale of pigeon food has been banned, this against the objections of vendors of bird seed and corn in the piazza.

Officials hope to drive the birds out of the city. Not only are the birds’ droppings a health risk, particularly during periods of high water, but they are etching away at monuments and flagstones.

Several European cities prohibit people from feeding pigeons.