Fight against animal suffering

Salzburg woman is the “guardian angel of city pigeons”

Tanja Loicht (right) no longer wants to see city pigeons suffer.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/alle Tanja Loicht)

Pigeons have become an integral part of our cityscape, but are not particularly popular with many people. Although the problem is man-made, their suffering is often ignored. In Bischofshofen, the pigeons are more fortunate: one woman has been fighting tirelessly for years to ensure that the birds receive species-appropriate care.

Tanja Loicht is out and about in Bischofshofen every day at four o'clock in the morning, whatever the weather. The reason for this is a sad one: she is fighting against endless animal suffering. "Pigeons are the poorest of the poor. It's only since I started dealing with this issue that I've realized how bad they actually are," she says. That's why she keeps meticulous records and visits all the nests she knows every day to replace the eggs with dummies. This has to happen at exactly the right time, otherwise the birth control is not effective. And more hatched birds also means more dead pigeons.