Rome women banned from feeding pigeons after neighbors complain

A woman in Rome has been banned from feeding pigeons after furious residents complained of a hellish situation. The residents claimed to be “drowning in feathers and guano” and demanded relief from their lives from what they described as a Hitchcockian nightmare.

For the past several months, a woman nicknamed “The Pigeon Lady,” was feeding pigeons from her third-floor apartment at 108 Via Spartaco. Her neighbors, fed with the resulting stench and mess, complained to authorities. She has now been legally banned from the practice.

Upon receiving complaints from residents, local authorities issued an order to stop feeding the pigeons.

Reached by intercom by the local news site Rome Today, the woman replied, “I am an animal rights activist with the Italian League for Bird Protection. I rescue animals in distress, and I don't feed them. It's my hobby. I rescue pigeons and other animals like cats and dogs. Obviously if I put food out for one pigeon, others are bound to come. There have been a large number of lies and threats against me.”

Neighbours have repeatedly filmed the woman allegedly feeding the birds and placing food on the ledge of her window.

A resident who spoke to the national broadcaster stated that the woman doesn't care at all about our discomfort and continues to put out various foods, including seeds, ham and chicken, making the lives of surrounding people a living hell.

Rome’s city government said there was no exact evidence of health problems but warned of a potential risk.

The mayor, Robert Gualtieri, ordered a ban on feeding pigeons and forbade the throwing of feed on the ground.

After a man complained that the women had continued to feed the pigeons despite the mayor’s order, a municipal police patrol was dispatched to the site. However, according to media reports, no one has actually witnessed her feeding the birds.

The authorities of Rome’s VII municipality have been instructed to prepare a law enforcement plan for the forced execution of the order if the woman does not comply.