Awesome Ahmedabad! Fed by middle, lower class people, pigeons excrete in elite flats

By Tathya Macwan*
In a world where humans have taken over the animal world, some places are setting a different example. Feral pigeons (Columba livia) are known worldwide for their notorious behaviour. They occupy buildings and houses and breed quite fast and make things dirty too. People set up nets and other protection to ward off these pests, but to no avail. They are found abundantly in almost every city. Many other birds are chased off by these feral pigeons and hence are not able to build their nest in their territory.
In the Anandnagar area of Ahmedabad city, there is a different trend, however. Just opposite the shattered and unused Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) garden, sprawling with mosquitoes, is a reasonably large area where pigeons thrive. The credit goes to the residents living around this place. People throng to this place during mornings and evenings along with their little kids and family members; just to feed these winged wonders.

A female vendor has found business at this place and is easily making a thousand bucks per day by selling leftover food grains. She sells a small bowl of grains for 10 rupees which the birds gobble up in a few seconds and are ready for more. There was something hilarious I learned at this place. The place is surrounded by the so-called rich class of people living in expensive apartments, which in turn is surrounded by slum shanties.
Most of the people I met here came from these slum shanties or areas of middle or low-class income group in the vicinity. So, these birds eat food from the middle and low-class income group and excrete the same at the apartments and homes of the rich class in the immediate surrounding! The area where these pigeons are fed is clean as our home fronts, as no grains get leftover!

In contrast, the AUDA garden opposite to it has zero visitors as it is neither entertaining nor comforting to either birds or humans. Hope AUDA realizes this situation and starts rehabilitation work soon.
—
*Professional photographer and activist. Pix by the author

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