Tree spikes for birds ruffle feathers in Bristol

Rows of shark spikes have been installed on tree limbs in a neighborhood of Bristol, U.K.—all to prevent birds from defecating on parked cars. The move has angered some local residents who find the spikes extreme and unsightly, and the issue will likely be put before the local city council, reports The Guardian. On Twitter, one Bristol resident called the spikes a “war on wildlife.”

The area has “a big problem with bird droppings,” according to a local resident. But such anti-roosting spikes are typically used on man-made perches like ledges and street lamps. The trees are on private property. So even if the city sided with members of the anti-spikes-on-trees movement, there’s little they can do to prompt their removal. A spokesperson for the Bristol city council also told The Guardian that the spikes had been there for several years.

“I’m aware that the landowner might be legally within their rights to do this to the trees as they seem to be on private land,” said Paula O’Rourke, a local Green party councillor. “Whether allowed or not though, it looks awful and it’s a shame to see trees being literally made uninhabitable to birds—presumably for the sake of car parking. Sometimes it’s too easy to lose sight of the benefit that we all gain from trees and green spaces and from the presence of wildlife around us in the city.”

Via: The Guardian