Brussels parakeet population out of control

The Brussels-Capital Region has not yet found a solution to the rising number of parakeets in the city, currently estimated at around 12,000. The city has tried different measures without effect, and has now moved on to destroying nesting sites and employing scare tactics, reports Brusselnieuws.be.

The rapidly growing number of parakeets in the region is alarming. The feral population of nearly 12,000 rose-ringed and monk parakeets started out as a small group released from the Melipretpark in the 1970s, and continues to reproduce at an alarming rate. The problem with the parakeets is that they take over the nesting and resting places of indigenous birds, and sometimes damage parked cars.

The Region has in the past made attempts at euthanasia and sterilisation, but the parakeets proved too difficult to capture. A spokesperson for the Region admits that the city is a bit helpless against the growing population. "The key is to find a solution that doesn’t harm the indigenous birds. And there are hardly any other cities in the world with the same problem. In London, though, there are parakeets but also no real solution,” he said.