Pigeons, typically harmless, pose a threat when their droppings, potentially carrying up to 60 different diseases according to the National Institutes of Health (NHI), litter the ground. Despite the City Council's attempts to control their population in certain Penang areas, pigeons persistently breed and roam. When conventional methods fail, what's the next step? A Malaysian professor from Salford University, England, recently proposed a rather unconventional solution:

Cooking and consuming pigeons.

Traditionally, Penang's City Council officers capture and incinerate pigeons. However, Professor Wong, also the proprietor of the Penang Bird Park, views these efforts as futile. He advocates for incorporating pigeons into the local diet as a means of population control. With four decades of bird study under his belt, Professor Wong remarked, "If we can embrace pigeons as a dietary staple, their numbers in Penang would dwindle."

In 2023 alone, the City Council rounded up 6,606 pigeons, a number that has been steadily climbing over the years. In 2018, the count was 3,419.

To assuage concerns about consuming pigeons, Professor Wong assures the public of their safety. Unlike crows, pigeons exhibit selective eating habits, minimizing health risks associated with scavenging. "Don't fret about dining on pigeons; they're cleaner than crows. Pigeons and chickens belong to the same avian family," he asserted.

Furthermore, Professor Wong suggested a novel approach: distributing captured pigeons for public consumption.

He noted that the abundance of pigeons is partly fueled by public feeding, urging individuals to refrain from this practice. The City Council echoed this sentiment, likening feeding pigeons to littering, punishable by fines up to RM250.

Watch here:

@kwongwah1910 槟岛的鸽子越繁殖越多，槟岛市政厅仅仅去年就捉捕了6000只鸽子，并以焚烧方式处理。惟研究鸟类40多年的Salford大学博士黄宏振却指这种处理方式太“浪费”了，并大胆建议民众：”把这些鸽子煮来吃！” #光华日报 #光华报动 #详情内容点击附随链接 #BeritaDiTiktok #NewsAtTiktok #TikTok新闻 #TrendingNewsMalaysia ♬ 原声 - Kwong Wah Yit Poh光華日报