Chicago Charges $500 for Feeding Pigeons, What's the Big Deal with Bird Feeding?

This summer, some of Chicago's popular beaches were temporarily closed and swimming in the lakefront was prohibited due to signs of Escherichia coli (E. coli). One of the reasons for high levels of E. coli is from animal waste, specifically from birds who fly over the lakefront and leave their wastes in the water. Chicago charges a $500 fine for anybody who feeds the pigeons and has signs about not feeding seagulls, too.

The Chicago Park District follows United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to keep their lakes and beaches clean. Swimmers and recreational visitors look for red, yellow and green flags. The red flags mean a swim ban is in effect for E. coli sightings or hazardous weather. A yellow flag means there have been signs of illness from E. coli. A green flag means it's okay to swim. Those who choose to visit the beach will be fined if they sit on the docks or by the sand or anywhere near the beaches or viaducts close to the lakefront feeding birds.

Strange enough, while news programs were broadcasting the high level of E. coli, one day I was sitting on a dock reading, turned around and a lady was throwing potato chips all over the dock a few feet from me. Birds were everywhere. I carefully stepped around the birds who didn't fly away, but I was either stepping on chips or narrowly missing a bird who was trying to steal a chip before it flew away. The woman feeding them, however, didn't seem to care and kept on reaching into her bag. Her attitude was probably that birds were here first so why shouldn't they be able to be fed by those who are willing to buy birdseed or leave food out for them?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, E. coli can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, pneumonia and respiratory illness. People can also develop a disease called "shiga toxin-producing" E. coli (STEC), which causes severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting. The rate of E. coli and STEC can go from harmless to mild to severe to life threatening.

The quickest way to end up with E. coli is from animal wastes entering the mouth through "contaminated food, consumption of unpasteurized (raw) milk, consumption of water that has not been disinfected, contact with cattle or contact with the feces of infected people." Eating undercooked hamburgers, eating food from people who don't wash their hands or swallowing lake water are other ways to end up with E. coli.

So while the $500 fine may seem harsh to some, there's a reason why pigeons eating food and then flying over the lake can endanger the environment and humans, too. It's not just a matter of being mean to the birds.

Sources:
"Welcome to Chicago's Lakefront" (Chicago Park District)