Authorities in Kemerovo introduced a fines system aimed at those who feed pigeons in public spaces, a move that drew immediate attention from residents and local businesses alike. A snapshot of the ban notice circulated online, showing the message posted at the entrance of a neighborhood bakery in the Leninsky district and signaling a potential penalty for the act of feeding birds in that area.
The notice suggested a monetary consequence for violators, with a fine of one thousand rubles tied to the act of feeding pigeons on the premises. The bakery itself acknowledged that the owner had decided to implement this penalty, apparently unilaterally, and to communicate it directly to customers and passersby who might otherwise proceed with feeding birds near the storefront.
In response, representatives from Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s consumer rights and public health watchdog, cautioned that the new measure did not align with established legal norms. Legal professionals echoed this sentiment, noting that the enforcement approach could run afoul of regulatory frameworks, even while acknowledging ongoing debates about the practice of feeding birds in urban spaces.
One lawyer, Olesya Kartapoltseva, explained that the core issue lies in how feeding pigeons in communal gardens can be interpreted as distributing food waste. While such interpretations could lead to administrative liability, she pointed out that in practice this kind of enforcement is rarely observed, underscoring a gap between theoretical risk and actual enforcement on the ground.
A separate line of discussion emerged around the broader social concerns of urban wildlife, including why feeding pigeons with bread is discouraged. The topic has sparked questions about the health of bird populations, the cleanliness of public areas, and the potential for creating dependency among urban wildlife on human food sources, all of which feed into the ongoing policy debate in cities across the region.