Pigeon Lover Evicted After Neighbours Fly Into Rage
A 56-year-old man has been evicted from his Vienna flat for over-enthusiastically feeding local pigeons.
The ruling brings to an end several years of legal wrangling and an angry stream of complaints from neighbours at the housing estate in Meidling. The court ultimately decided that the unemployed man had made life unbearable for other residents in the building.
When the eviction was finally carried out on Monday, 18th January, police and council officials discovered countless nests and droppings in the flat.
It is the second pigeon-related rumpus in recent weeks. In December, a 63-year-old woman was fined 7000 Euros for what was deemed excessive feeding of pigeons with such delicacies as bacon and sweetcorn.
It is estimated that Vienna's growing pigeon population has reached 150,000, much to the chagrin of some residents. The common pigeon (Columba livia) is considered by some a charming creature that adds a picturesque quality to the world's great cities. To others it is a pest, carrying disease in its wake. No pigeons were available for comment when Vienna Life went out onto the streets this morning.