Animal Rights Groups: "Feeding Ban Violates the Right to Life"
On the 22nd, a press conference for the constitutional complaint submission against the "Pigeon Feeding Prohibition Ordinance" was held in front of the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul. 2025.12.22 Yonhap News Agency
Animal rights organizations have filed a constitutional complaint, arguing that the current ordinance prohibiting pigeon feeding infringes upon the rights to life and the pursuit of happiness guaranteed by the Constitution. They claim that this policy is not about population control, but rather constitutes animal cruelty by starving the animals to death.
On December 22, animal rights organizations such as CARE, the Korea Animal Protection Coalition, and the Citizens' Group for Victory and Peace for Pigeons held a press conference in front of the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul. They announced that they had filed a constitutional complaint, stating, "The law and ordinances prohibiting pigeon feeding are unconstitutional systems that violate the principle of proportionality."
These organizations pointed out that the problematic provision is part of the Act on the Protection and Management of Wildlife, which passed the National Assembly in December 2023. This provision allows local governments to ban or restrict the feeding of harmful wild animals by ordinance. The law has been in effect since December of last year, and violations are subject to fines.
Based on this law, local governments have been enacting and enforcing ordinances prohibiting the feeding of urban wildlife such as pigeons. In fact, in Seoul, the "Ordinance on the Prohibition of Feeding Harmful Wild Animals such as Pigeons" was proposed and has been in effect since January of this year.
However, the organizations emphasized that there is no scientific basis for the claim that banning pigeon feeding leads to a reduction in population. They pointed out that, on the contrary, pigeons deprived of food are rummaging through food waste bins or wandering the city, which is exacerbating hygiene issues and public complaints.
On the 22nd, a press conference for the constitutional complaint submission against the "Pigeon Feeding Prohibition Ordinance" was held in front of the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul. 2025.12.22 Yonhap News Agency
They compared this to the TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) policy currently used for managing stray cats, arguing that "the pigeon policy has actually regressed by 20 years." They criticized the policy for designating pigeons as harmful wild animals and strengthening citizen control through feeding bans and fines, without any systematic management.
The organizations argued that providing pigeons with contraceptive feed is an effective means of population control. They stated, "In Spain, after the introduction of the contraceptive feed policy, the pigeon population decreased by about 55%, and in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in the United States, the population was reduced by about 50% through the use of contraceptive feed." They criticized Korea for relying solely on starvation-based regulation.
The organizations stated, "Pigeons are not animals that naturally took over the city, but have been members of the urban ecosystem since being released in large numbers during national events in the 1980s." They urged, "Policies institutionalizing hatred and aversion toward animals must be stopped, and urban ecological policies based on respect for life and coexistence must be adopted."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
