One man is reducing carbon footprints by trapping and consuming pigeons
- Ari
- Apr 8, 2020
- 4 min read

Curtis Fagan in his backyard coop, with a pigeon he has trapped for consumption to limit
carbon footprints. Photo by Jonaka Creasser
Curtis Fagan is a resident of Alberta who started trapping and consuming pigeons to reduce his carbon footprint. Fagan realized Canada is one of the biggest greenhouse gas contributors and decided to change his lifestyle by weaning off beef. It’s a controversial decision, given the possible link between coronavirus and eating wild animals.
The pigeons live optimally as the special bird diet cleans their insides. This also ensures the game bird isn’t sick which allows the consumer to be confident the meat will be great quality and fit for consumption, says Fagan.
“I have trapped, hunted and consumed the same day, but the quality of the end meat is definitely enhanced by a couple months of my special bird diet. It’s got lard, spices, sugars, proteins, a bunch of seeds and grains and occasionally raisins and the like. This cleans them out, enhances their droppings for compost and you will watch your trapped birds double in size in two months,” says Fagan.
Henry Lin is a registered dietitian who graduated from the University of Auckland with a master’s degree in health science, majoring in dietetics. Lin is one of the few bodybuilding dietitians in New Zealand and has been working in the field since 2017.
“As far as I'm aware, there aren't any special health benefits from eating pigeons. Pigeon meat, like all animal proteins, would contain the essential amino acids to meet our protein requirements,” says Lin.
He adds there may be a possibility of getting sick if the pigeons are feral.
“After all, poor sanitary conditions usually in poorly farmed animals or meat markets, was the reason for SARS, bird flu, swine flu and the new COVID-19 coronavirus. These conditions allow viruses to form recombinant strains that would cross-infect between species,” says Lin.
“Pigeons carry their own bacteria and diseases like humans and any other wild animals. These diseases can sometimes be transmitted to humans, with 176 documented cases reported from 1941 and 2003,” says Lin
Canada is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases per capita in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, a 2017 review shows.
Cows produce methane through the release of gas which contributes to greenhouse gases. A single dairy cow in a year would produce the equivalent greenhouse gas as a mid-size vehicle driven 20,000 kilometres says the website for the Government of Canada.
“Calgary is a big feedlot, farming and grain city so we are blessed with big, chubby, old, and wise birds who make good eating,” says Fagan.
Fagan describes pigeons to be delicious and similar tasting to filet mignon.
“Pigeons are very oily so one little bird feeds me, and I’m 205 pounds. The protein is exceptional, just awesome for folks who can’t eat beef for religious reasons but would like a steak once in a while without the forbidden cattle product,” says Fagan.
He decided to trap pigeons as opposed to other birds because crows and similar birds taste rubbery and are higher level thinking birds with customs that resemble societies such as courts, Fagan says.
“Repeat offender birds are tried and punished accordingly inside the flock. Pigeons are smart but they don’t have a legal system,” says Fagan.
Fagan has a tradition of naming his pigeons before consumption. Even though he gets attached to the birds, he acknowledges each bird as an individual as they have personalities and ways of interaction.
“I have had folks who are vehemently vegan and very empathic towards sentient creatures express some anger and disgust, but most of the time those conversations hit a dead end when I bring up carbon footprint,” says Fagan. He added veganism is a privileged dietary choice, and the middle ground is global warming as it affects everyone.
In Canada, there are six types of birds classified as nuisance pests include house sparrows, starlings, woodpeckers, gulls, Canada geese and pigeons, says the website for Orkin Canada, a pest control company.
“A medical research paper stated that feral pigeons harboured 60 different human pathogenic organisms. however only seven of them were transmittable,” says Lin.
Humans contracting diseases from pigeons are considered very low, but this does not account for the possession, close contact and consumption.
“Interestingly, most of the disease cases (99.4 per cent) came from aerosol transmission but this is likely to be due to the fact nobody really does anything with pigeons besides breathing the same air as them,” says Lin.
From a nutritional standpoint, Lin considers pigeons to be good meat alternatives because they are low cholesterol and contain a lot of protein. Lin stresses the consumption of feral pigeons from unsanitary conditions would consequently increase the risk of disease.
David Needham has been vegetarian for six years and went vegan two years ago. He converted to veganism after completing a Vipassana meditation course and continued to live this lifestyle because of the positive impact it had on his body.
“I feel that trapping pigeons is a very smart industrial thing to do. I personally have no desire to eat pigeons, but I support eating lower on the food chain. This means, bugs, small birds, and rodents over cows, pigs, deer, and bears,” says Needham.
He says eating lower on the food chain has less of an impact on the biodiversity of ecosystems.
Needham added wild pigeons are much better than farmed meats, and since pigeons are lower on the food chain, they have less impact on the environment than hunting a large mammal.
“If you are eating based on your carbon footprint you should consider eating local before thinking about eating vegan. Curtis is probably a very practical and resourceful human being. I think Curtis can live his life his way. Curtis has my approval,” says Needham.
Fagan hopes this topic stirs serious conversations including exuberant dissent and criticisms. He also recommends everyone to trap their food.
“Pigeons are about integrity, planetary longevity and uprooting xenophobic classism in our society. I hope more folks see and harness when they choose to take up pigeon hunting. It’s not only super fun, delicious and fulfilling but you can feel awesome about your contributions to the planet and your fellow humans by doing so. I don’t think there’s anything more punk rock than that,” Fagan says.
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