The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) has confirmed that birds culled at St John’s Arboretum have been feral chickens.

Last month, DEFA admitted it has occasionally had to ‘humanely’ manage the bird population at the popular park.

The admission came after people questioned on social media whether birds had been culled at St John’s Arboretum.

DEFA said that when numbers have got out of hand, action has been taken, and has offered advice to visitors to help prevent overpopulation.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted to DEFA has now confirmed it has managed the population of feral chickens rather than the park’s waterfowl, such as ducks and geese.

The FOI request asked for information generally on birds culled since FOI legislation came into force in 2011. It also asked specifically about the number of birds culled at St John’s.

Information was also requested on how the birds were culled and how they were disposed of.

In response, DEFA said: ‘The approach adopted at St John’s Arboretum was one of managed population control of the chicken population.

‘While the department does not hold records of the number of chickens removed from the Arboretum, it can confirm that chickens have been humanely dispatched as part of this population management approach.

‘The reason for this population management was complaints received from local residents regarding the presence of the birds.’

DEFA only holds records of bird culls since 2022 across the island.

In early 2022, amid concerns over the spread of bird flu, 14 geese and 11 ducks were killed either by lethal injection or shooting.

At the end of 2022, 300 chickens were killed by ‘manual neck dislocation’ due to bird flu concerns.

Other individual birds have been culled due to welfare issues or disease control. All animals killed have been disposed of at the animal waste plant.

In relation to the Arboretum, a spokesman for DEFA previously told Media IoM: ‘We proactively monitor and manage the population of birds at the Arboretum in St John’s as part of its wider responsibility for the site.

‘In doing so, it seeks to balance animal welfare, environmental management, public enjoyment, and the views of the community.

‘DEFA’s approach has always been to manage the population responsibly through measures such as monitoring numbers, preventing further growth where appropriate, and discouraging supplementary feeding.

‘The arboretum contains a mixture of birds, including free-ranging domestic poultry that are believed to have originated from birds abandoned at the site over several years.

‘The growing population of poultry on the site has generated concerns that have been raised directly with the department, with specific issues of noise pollution and property intrusion from residents.’

DEFA has issued advice to members of the public aimed at helping control numbers and reducing any need for future culls. This includes not feeding the chickens, not giving bread to ducks and not abandoning unwanted poultry at the park.