NHS staff in Portsmouth have been on the receiving end of shocking abuse over the telephone and email after mistaken reports about culling pigeons were published online.
The rogue social media claims said the South Central Ambulance Service were planning to kill pigeons at a location in Portsmouth, the service have wholly rejected the claims as “categorically untrue”.
The NHS trust said any problematic pigeons would be handled “humanely”.
Online social media posts by animal rights groups had made claims of a “wildlife slaughter” at the Portsmouth Patient Transport Service base, including contact details for the trust which appears could have led to the abuse.
Stock Pigeon image
Gareth Milner
The NHS trust had stated the number of pigeons in the specific location had increased, but they were working with experts to reduce the amount of nesting taking place.
"The associated health and safety risks posed to our staff are significant, along with the difficulties of ensuring that it does not adversely affect the cleanliness and condition of our patient transport vehicles," SCAS said.
"The option we are considering involves humanely trapping (in cages with space, food and water) and releasing the birds, with netting then installed as a preventative measure to stop them returning."
It said the social media posts, some of which included images of dead pigeons, had resulted in "significant abuse" of staff.
"This is unacceptable and such activity online is irresponsible given the increase in unnecessary communication it has caused at a time of significant pressure across the trust.”