Scary finding: Deformed dove feet in urban areas

Pigeons on the streets are images of people fascinated, but few expect the researchers to discover a scary truth: deformed pigeons in the city. Particularly in Paris, who feed pigeons heavily punished.

Research published in the scientific journal Biological Conservation shows that for a long time French scientists believed that pigeons in French cities had lost their toes or deformed their feet as a form. infection, or reaction to pollutants.

However, scientists have found the real reason: human hair.

Once a symbol of peace, but now pigeons are no longer respected in the city - (Image: CNN).

The team from the National Museum of Natural History and the University of Lyon recorded the level of toe deformation in pigeons at 46 locations across Paris.

They found that man-made pollution was the cause of most of the pigeon foot deformities.

Accordingly, pigeons live in places with high air pollution and a lot of noise with less toes than people in places with lots of trees. In particular, the birds with many toes live near the area where there are many hair salons, showing that the cause of the deformity in pigeons is entangled in human hair.

The team proposed devoting more green space to the pigeons. But people are not very keen because pigeons have long been considered an urban pest.

Pigeons in France once had a glorious time, playing an important role in the exchange of millions of correspondence from the 19th century. French law now stipulates that feeding pigeons in Paris is illegal and behavioral. This has a fine of 450 euros. However, there is still a small group that secretly feeds pigeons at night.

There is good reason for this ban. Feeding pigeons will attract more pigeons, resulting in overcrowding, which can spread disease. Feeding birds at night is also easy to disrupt bird circadian rhythms.

The more important problem is that the pigeon is "blocking the way" . Many cases of people are angry at the police because pigeons cause them to get in a traffic accident.

Moreover, many pigeons are synonymous with . many inches. The "symbol of peace" birds often dispose of their waste on car windshields and the streets, making it difficult for civil servants to scrub.

Until now, the key to controlling the number of pigeons lies in their ability to suppress their natural fertility. Pigeons are planned for "apartments" with many nests built in several locations in the city. In particular, each bird is born only 1 child / year. The rest were destroyed.

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