Wes the Pigeon (pictured above) is an animated bird-fluencer who appears in a lot of SWR’s TV ads and online and is described by SWR as an avian ambassador.
But it’s been revealed that bosses ordered the shooting of 250 pigeons over a 16-month period.
The data has been sourced under the Freedom of Information Act by wildlife group Manchester Pigeon Rehab.
Professionals have been employed to shoot the pigeons in an effort to prevent droppings becoming slip hazards or causing illness.
SWR is not the only train company doing this, but critics say the method is inhumane and ironic as South Western Railway uses a pigeon to help it sell train fares.
Pigeons are considered smart birds and are said to possess advanced memory, strong visual recognition skills, and exceptional navigation abilities.
A spokesperson for South Western Railway and Network Rail Wessex said:
“While we care deeply about protecting wildlife on our network, we have clear responsibilities, set and monitored by the railway regulator, to manage the health and safety risks presented by pigeon infestations. These include spreading disease and damaging buildings and trains, with the potential to cause injury.
“We work with a licenced specialist contractor, whose first approach has always been prevention, investing in bird-proofing measures to discourage pigeons from settling in certain areas, with lethal control only ever used as a last resort.
“Earlier this year, we paused lethal control across our network until further notice. This pause remains in place. As we review alternative mitigations such as those used in European cities, we continue to keep our policy under review to ensure we look after the welfare of wildlife while ensuring we keep our customers and colleagues safe.”
