The Valencia City Council has launched “Don’t Feed the Problem, “ a public awareness initiative to curb the overpopulation of pigeons in the city, with fines of up to 3,000 euros for those who violate the new sanitation ordinance.
The Councilor for Animal Welfare, Juan Carlos Caballero, launched the campaign on Wednesday with a clear message: feeding pigeons on the street is not a harmless gesture.
As he explained, this practice encourages the concentration of pigeons, creates mess, attracts other pests, and can lead to public health problems.
Added to that is property damage: droppings damage building facades, monuments, street furniture, drains, and gutters, with the resulting cost to the city as a whole.
The campaign will launch this weekend on social media, street furniture, and in the media, and aims to engage residents, businesses, and visitors alike.
The presence of pigeons in the city is no minor matter. According to data presented by a technician from the pest control company Lokímica, the equilibrium threshold for urban bird populations stands at 10.2 pigeons per hectare. With the current population of 32,197 birds, Valencia stands at 11 per hectare, slightly above that threshold.
Nevertheless, data from the first quarter of 2026 point to a positive trend: the population has dropped by 9.5% compared to the previous quarter, falling from 35,564 to 32,197 birds.
Caballero noted that between 2021 and 2024, the population had grown steadily, rising from 22,000 to nearly 36,000 birds, making the current decline a significant reversal of the trend.
The City Council will combine the public awareness campaign with direct management measures: pigeon lofts with health and birth control measures, sterilizing feed at strategic locations, removal of nests, deterrents on streetlights and buildings, and trapping in accordance with animal welfare standards.
Efforts have focused on areas with the highest concentration of pigeons, such as markets, squares, the maritime district, Nazaret, and Patraix.
For those who ignore the warning, the new sanitation ordinance establishes fines ranging from 750 to 3,000 euros for feeding pigeons on public streets.
The City Council is also asking citizens to notify municipal services when they spot large concentrations of birds or problem areas.