KEY POINTS:
LONDON - Pigeon lovers are set to take London Mayor Ken Livingstone to court to force him to let them continue feeding the birds he calls "flying rats" in the capital's Trafalgar Square.
The Save the Trafalgar Square Pigeons action group has been battling a campaign launched by Livingstone six years ago to rid the central London square of its pigeons, which he says are a nuisance and a health hazard.
The sale to the public of bird seed has been banned and hawks have been brought in to scare the pigeons away.
The group says Livingstone has broken an agreement to allow them to feed the birds as part of a plan to eradicate them by a gradual reduction in feeding and to donate £3000 ($8544) for the bird food.
The compromise agreement to limit breeding rather than starve the pigeons to death has brought their numbers down to about 1500 from 4000, according to the action group.
"We opposed the mayor's plans to reduce pigeon numbers but agreed to work with him to reduce numbers humanely," said spokesman Niel Hansen.
"And now he repays us by stabbing us in the back and reneging on our agreement."
The group said it was issuing legal proceedings against Livingstone in Central London County Court, seeking an order forcing him to allow their feeding to continue.
The mayor's office said it withdrew permission for the feeding scheme in June after "rogue" feeding on the square's north terrace, which iscontrolled by Westminster CityCouncil and does not come underthe bylaw banning unauthorisedfeeding.
"As there is persistent and anti-social feeding by pigeon-rights activists on the North Terrace ... there is simply no case for feeding the feral pigeon colony in the Trafalgar Square area," a Greater London Authority spokesperson said.
Livingstone has come under fire from animal rights campaigners around the world and from political opponents complaining about the cost of driving the pigeons away.
The London Assembly opposition Liberal Democrats have said the hawks have cost taxpayers at least £226,000.
- REUTERS
