HUMANE PIGEON POPULATION MANAGEMENT USING AVIAN CONTRACEPTIVE OVOCONTROL® P AT TRANSLINK SKYTRAIN STATIONS IN THE LOWER MAINLAND OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA by Nadia Xenakis B.Sc. (Honors), The University of British Columbia, 2018 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Applied Animal Biology) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) June 2021 © Nadia Xenakis, 2021 The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, a thesis entitled: Humane Pigeon Population Management Using Avian Contraceptive OvoControl® P at TransLink SkyTrain Stations in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada submitted by Nadia Xenakis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Applied Animal Biology Examining Committee: Dr. Ronaldo Cerri, Professor, Applied Animal Biology, UBC Supervisor Dr. Sara Dubois, Adjunct Professor, Applied Animal Biology, UBC Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Kristen Walker, Professor, Applied Animal Biology, UBC Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Sabina Magliocco, Professor, Anthropology, UBC Additional Examiner ADDitional Supervisory Committee Members: Dr. Alexandra Protopopova, Assistant Professor, Applied Animal Biology, UBC Supervisory Committee Member ii Abstract Pigeon abundance in urban environments can result in human-Wildlife conflicts in the form of excrement, disease, and nuisance behaviour. Managing human-Wildlife conflicts using humane, sustainable and safe methods can help mitigate conflicts and ethically address the humane treatment of animals and the environment. Traditional methods of pigeon control include netting open areas, applying spikes to prevent perching, delivering low electric shock to birds on resting surfaces, lethal control through capture and culling, and flying raptors at chosen sites. These methods rely on principles of exclusion and removal which are not effective long-term, as pigeons typically find alternative spaces to evade exclusion attempts and populations slowly increase to pre-treatment size when culled. A relatively neW method of management, OvoControl® P is an avian contraceptive developed by Innolytics and is patented for pigeon control in Canada. The active compound in OvoControl® P is nicarbazin 0.5%, which disrupts the egg laying mechanisms in avian species, preventing the formation of a viable embryo. To test its efficacy as a pigeon management method for a major public transit netWork, eight TransLink SkyTrain stations in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada were chosen as study sites betWeen March 2020 and March 2021. Four control site stations dispensed cracked corn and four experimental site stations dispensed OvoControl® P. Trail cameras actively recorded video clips at each station to provide population estimates and confirm pigeons were ingesting OvoControl® P. Measures of success monitored were daily population estimates and track alarm trigger data. Results found that stations dispensing cracked corn increased pigeon populations before and after treatment, while pigeon populations at stations dispensing iii OvoControl® P did not change before and after treatment. Further, an unexpected result was that higher numbers of pigeons inversely correlated to track alarm triggers, perhaps due to nesting behaviour. The use of OvoControl® P within a public transportation netWork has shown that it can be scaled and used as a long-term, humane management approach to deal with pigeon control and testing OvoControl® P over longer time periods is recommended to see if subsequent population declines can be observed. iv Lay Summary Human-Wildlife conflicts may arise with pigeons in urban environments, particularly where food and shelter resources are abundant. Public transit is a prime example, and this research was conducted at TransLink SkyTrain stations in British Columbia, Canada. Concerns involving pigeons include triggering track alarms and excrement that leads to an unfavorable environment for customers. This study measured the efficacy of using avian contraceptive OvoControl® P over one-year to manage pigeons at SkyTrain stations. Traditional pest control that was perceived to be a ‘quick-fix’ including the removal of pigeons, was previously employed as the main strategy although ineffective long-term. Results showed an increase in pigeons at stations dispensing cracked corn, while populations of pigeons at stations dispensing OvoControl® P did not change. It is recommended that TransLink continue treatment to assess if subsequent population declines are observed to assess if OvoControl® P could be effective long-term management for a significant human-Wildlife conflict. v Preface Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 are based on work conducted at TransLink SkyTrain stations across the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada by Nadia Xenakis under the supervision of Dr. Ronaldo Cerri. Dr. Ronaldo Cerri, Dr. Sara Dubois and Nadia Xenakis were responsible for the design of the research project. Nadia Xenakis was responsible for collecting and compiling data and communicating with stakeholders. José Denis-Robichaud conducted statistical analysis of results. Dr. Ronaldo Cerri and Dr. Sara Dubois supervised the progress of the research project. Ethics approval (A19-0001) Was provided from the Animal Care Committee at The University of British Columbia. vi Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... iii Lay Summary .................................................................................................................................v Preface ........................................................................................................................................... vi Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................ vii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ xi List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. xii List of Symbols .............................................................................................................................xv List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................. xvi AcknowleDgements ................................................................................................................... xvii DeDication ................................................................................................................................... xix Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................1 1.1 Thesis Aims .................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Pigeons in a Cultural Context ......................................................................................... 2 1.3 Pigeons and Urbanization ............................................................................................... 4 1.4 Pigeons and Human-Wildlife Conflict ............................................................................ 5 1.5 Pigeons as Pests .............................................................................................................. 7 1.6 The Legal Status of Pigeons in North America .............................................................. 9 1.7 Considerations for Human-Wildlife Conflict Management ......................................... 11 Chapter 2: Methods to Control Pigeon Populations .................................................................13 2.1 Open Population Systems and Pigeon Dispersal .......................................................... 13 vii 2.2 Exclusion and Deterrent Methods ................................................................................. 14 2.2.1 Spiking .................................................................................................................. 15 2.2.2 Netting ................................................................................................................... 16 2.2.3 Audio Deterrents and Visual Deterrents ............................................................... 17 2.2.4 Raptor Presence .................................................................................................... 18 2.3 Lethal Methods ............................................................................................................. 18 2.3.1 Avitrol® ................................................................................................................ 19 2.3.2 Culling .................................................................................................................. 20 2.4 Reproductive Control .................................................................................................... 21 2.4.1 Pigeon Reproductive Biology ............................................................................... 21 2.4.2 Egg Removal ........................................................................................................