Lorca slashes pigeon numbers by 39% - but locals want even cleaner streets
Harris's hawk flights and smarter traps bring real results after summer push
If you've been dodging pigeon droppings in Lorca's historic heart, you'll be glad to hear the Pest Control team has made significant progress. Over the last four months, they've reduced the pigeon population by 39% across the municipality, according to Councilor Carmen Menduiña.Earlier this year, nearby Elche explored similar bird control methods, inspiring Lorca’s recent approach. The summer contract with specialists increased trap cages from ten to sixteen, strategically placed in various key locations.
Back to Lorca, drop nets have helped snag more birds, but the star of the show is the Harris's hawk. Its flights have scared off flocks effectively, especially in the old town: up to seven times on Corredera Street alone. "It's very difficult to take action in streets that are too narrow" where the trainer can't safely release the hawk, Menduiña noted, with upcoming sessions planned near the sanctuary and San Mateo Church.
Residents in the centre and villages are still calling for tougher measures, and the team is advising building owners to fit netting and spikes on ledges and balconies to stop nesting. Just this week, they did it at a historic spot on Corredera Street. The goal? Protect heritage from damage and cut health risks like disease spread – they're even culling 50 pigeons for lung issue tests in rural areas.
On other fronts, regular insecticide sprays tackle bedbugs in Los Ángeles and Apolonia from dumped infested items, while drain and ditch work has nipped rises in rats, mice, cockroaches, and snakes in the bud - thanks to all that high-speed rail digging and street upgrades.
You might also be interested in: WATCH: Pigeon on a leash turns heads in Torrevieja
Image: Harrison Haines-Pexels
Address
C.C Parque Almenara, Camino de Enmedio s/n., Diputacion del Campillo. 30813, Lorca, (Murcia)Tel: 968 46 37 37
Murcia’s second biggest centro comercial has more than just shopping – it’s everything you could want from a day out!
Parque Almenara is one of the largest retail and leisure malls in the Lorca and Águilas area, offering the full ‘all under one roof’ shopping experience, except it is open to the elements!
It has all your favourite brands and shops like Stradivarius and Mango, spread out over two easily accessed levels. There is also a Carrefour, plus larger retail units for electrical products and home and garden goods.
Unlike other shopping centres, Parque Almenara is a shopping mall where the stores are located in a network of streets, like a whole shopping village that covers almost 150,000m2, making it the second largest shopping centre in the Region of Murcia.One of the most striking features of Parque Almenara is its three canvas tents suspended 20 metres above the outdoor area, creating a shaded zone and an oasis of calm right in the middle of the mall.
As well as the opportunity for a day’s retail therapy, Parque Almenara also offers the makings of good night out. There is a 10-pin bowling alley with 20 lanes and an entertainment complex, plus a multiscreen cinema with ten screens showing the latest offerings from Hollywood and the best 3D movies, and even original version English-language films.And with no fewer than eight separate options to grab a bite to eat at the food court, you can stay at the Parque Almenara all day if you want to!
You can even take your dog along with you as pets are allowed into the mall, an animal-friendly place.
How to get there
Parque Almenara is located on the Lorca–Águilas road C-3211 at km 1.9. On a GPS, the coordinates to put in are: N 37º 63´ W -1º 69´
If you’re going by bus, there is a direct bus route that leaves from Apolonia.
