Pigeon poo causing problems in Ashburton

Hey Kiwi Kids News readers, do you know what’s causing a big headache for the Ashburton Event Centre? It’s pigeons! That’s right, these birds are making a huge mess and it’s starting to get serious.

Roger Farr, the general manager of the centre, is fed up with the feathered friends and the financial burden they’re causing. Recently, they had to clean up over half a tonne of pigeon poo from the roof! That’s a lot of bird droppings!

This year the centre has spent $8000 to hire contractors to clean up the mess, and they even hired someone to maintain the pigeons. But it’s not enough. The pigeons keep coming back and making a mess.

The event centre has tried all sorts of things to keep the pigeons away. They’ve used a laser light and scarecrow kites, but nothing seems to work. They’ve even tried netting and trapping, but no luck.

The problem is that the roof of the centre is like a five-star hotel for pigeons. It’s warm and cosy, and they can nest under the heat ducting. No wonder they keep coming back!

The centre asked the council for advice on how to control the pigeon problem, especially since they’re building a new library and civic centre. The council is aware of the issue and is using laser lights to keep the pigeons away. But the centre is still struggling to keep the place clean.

Despite the pigeon problem, things are picking up again at the event centre. After a tough time during the Covid pandemic, more events are happening, and people are starting to come back. In the past six months, they’ve had 21 ticketed events and sold almost 80% of the tickets. That’s pretty good!

So, while the pigeons are causing a headache for the event centre, they’re not giving up. They’re still putting on great events and making sure that everyone has a good time. Let’s hope they find a solution to the pigeon problem soon!