SIBULELE Ndifana is furious after rats ate his pigeons in February.
The 32-year-old from Langa, Cape Town, said he started keeping pigeons in January 2021. When he started, he only had one pigeon but by February of this year, he had 20.
He was devastated when he discovered rats had managed to get into their wooden cage and killed six.
“My pigeons are like my babies and when I saw them dead, I was hurt and angry.” Sibulele said he stayed awake one night to find out what was attacking the birds.
“I decided to stay awake all night just to monitor and I saw two huge rats attacking my pigeons,” he said.
Sibulele said since the incident, he had bought rodent repellent and poured hot water into the holes the rats used to get into the cage. Sibulele said growing up in the Eastern Cape, he loved livestock. He moved to Cape Town 10 years ago.
“I don’t have space and the environment is not conducive to keeping livestock such as goats and chickens as they could be stolen. I tried it and it didn’t work. I was keeping rabbits in a cage but someone stole them two months ago.”
Sibulele said he kept the pigeons on his roof so he would hear footsteps if someone tried to steal them.
“The pigeons are safe where I keep them. If you walk on the roof, I’ll definitely hear it.” Sibulele said he opened the cage in the morning to let the birds look for food and he sometimes gave them rice to eat.