Hundreds of pigeons have been trapped inside the house for weeks, gradually morphing into an annoyance for the neighbourhood.
After receiving several complaints, the owner of the building, an influential developer from Luxembourg City, decided to take rather drastic measures to eradicate the problem.
Video in Luxembourgish:
In fact, the owner decided to close the doors and windows of the entire building. He also hired a roofing company to place a net over the roof and a cleaning company to remove the birds and sanitize the place.
The roofing company consequently pulled an enormous net over the entire roof - when countless birds were still inside the house. For many birds, young ones in particular, this was a death sentence as escape became impossible. Several pigeons also tried to get back into the house from the outside, got entangled in the net and suffered an agonizing death.
Animal welfare groups "Give us a Voice" and "Staddauwen Lëtzebuerg" heard of the questionable solution and contacted police, firefighters and the veterinary inspectorate. The animal welfare representatives were ultimately allowed inside the building and proceeded to save the locked animals from the deadly trap.
Images of the rescue operation
80 grown pigeons were taken out of the house and set free. 30 young pigeons were also rescued and found a new temporary home in a rescue centre. The rescuers also collected around 80 eggs. Help came too late for most of the fledglings.
Who's to blame?
The owner of the building reacted to an order from the municipality of Esch and contracted professional firms, which absolves him from guilt. The roofing company, on the other hand, should not have pulled the net over the entire roof. The net itself was also not fit for this specific purpose.
The sanitization of the house proved to be an impossible task for the cleaning company as some pigeons repeatedly found a way back into the building.
