Balzan council will be culling pigeons tomorrow - an exercise which has been described as “barbaric” by one of the councillors.

Writing on his Facebook page today, councillor Desmond Zammi Marmara said that although legal and residents would not be in any harm, culling was still a barbaric way of solving the problem of pigeon droppings.

Expert studies, he said, showed it was not effective and the problem would return within a short time.

The culling is expected to take place in Triq il-Kbira, Pjazza Bertu Fenech, Triq it-Tliet Knejjes and Triq il-Providenza between 4 and 9pm.

Mr Zammit Marmara hoped no pigeon would be left wounded and subject to suffering.

He pointed that that although he opposed the exercise, all the other councillors had been in favour.

In November, pigeons were culled in Sliema angering some residents and with the council arguing that the measure was the only solution.

Culls have also been carried out by the government’s animal welfare department in Balluta in St Julian’s and at St Luke’s Hospital in Pietà in recent years.

Mr Zammit Marmara argued that although the pigeon population initially shrunk with culling, it usually returned to or even exceeded the previous level within a few weeks.

“This is because pigeons control their own numbers according to the food source available.

“Approximately 90 per cent of pigeons die in their first year and the main cause of death is starvation. The mortality rate of adult pigeons is very low, typically around 11 per cent.

“Therefore, when culling is carried out on a pigeon population, the vacancies left by the dead birds are quickly filled by young birds.

“This means that killing adult pigeons in a flock discriminates in favour of young birds who would otherwise have perished. It has no long-term effect on the level of population, as it merely rejuvenates the flock,” he wrote.

Efforts to contact the mayor proved futile.