Mumbai Pigeon Feeding Row: 'They Are Capable Of Looking For Food,' Says Former Pune Corporator After Daughter Dies Of Infection

Amid Mumbai’s heated debate over shutting down kabootar khanas, a grieving father from Pune is urging people to understand the deadly consequences of pigeon feeding. Former Pune corporator Sham Mankar lost his 39-year-old daughter, Sheetal Vijay Shinde, to lung fibrosis caused by prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings.

'Pigeons were causing this cough'

Speaking to The Indian Express, Mankar recounted how Sheetal's health struggles began in 2017. “It was an incessant cough… A doctor asked us, ‘Are there pigeons where you stay?’ It turned out to be true. People on the floors above placed grains for pigeons, and they began nesting there. The doctor said the pigeons were causing this cough,” he recalled.

Over the years, the family visited leading hospitals in Pune and Mumbai, but the diagnosis remained the same: lung damage from pigeon droppings. Her condition worsened until she needed oxygen round the clock. Despite being listed for a lung transplant at DY Patil Hospital, she never received a suitable match.

In January this year, Sheetal was admitted to the hospital with back pain. But on January 19, just as she was recovering, she passed away.

Plea for awareness

Now, Mankar is dedicated to warning the public. “Pigeon droppings, after two or three days, dry and turn into powder that is carried by the air… Once a person’s immunity weakens, symptoms can arise years later,” he said. Despite moving homes twice, the infection had already taken root.

He also questions the practice of feeding pigeons: “Pigeons have been a part of nature since before human settlements. They are capable of looking for food. The congestion of pigeons in crowded urban areas is also harming our health.”

Mumbai's pigeon feeding row

Recently, the Maharashtra government directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to dismantle designated pigeon feeding spots across the city. The move comes after health experts and political leaders, including Shiv Sena’s Manisha Kayande, raised alarm over respiratory illnesses linked to pigeon waste. Large congregations of pigeons, they argue, are not just a nuisance but a public health hazard.