London
Feeding the pigeons in Trafalgar Square became illegal this week. Anyone caught scattering bread crumbs or seeds now faces a fine of $85 and possible prosecution. London’s mayor, Ken Livingstone, said he had to take action because droppings from the thousands of pigeons that thronged the square every day had caused more than $230,000 worth of damage to monuments such as Nelson’s Column. He outlawed the licensed feed sellers several months ago; now even freelance seed scatterers are banned from the square. Outraged pigeon lovers said they would continue to feed the birds over on the next block.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The genetic secrets of South Korea's female free-diversUnder The Radar Unique physiology of 'real-life mermaid' haenyeo women could help treat chronic diseases
-
Democrats: How to rebuild a damaged brandFeature Trump's approval rating is sinking, but so is the Democratic brand
-
Unraveling autismFeature RFK Jr. has vowed to find the root cause of the 'autism epidemic' in months. Scientists have doubts.
