A town in East Yorkshire, England, still has its Christmas tree up – and not because they’re trying to keep the festive spirit alive all year round. The Christmas tree in Beverley is still standing because a wood pigeon lives there.
The town council was supposed to take the tree down in January, but due to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it’s illegal to take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it’s in use or being built. That means the tree can’t be moved until the pigeon decides to move of its own free will.
The tree even still has its lights up – albeit switched off – because the council didn’t want to disturb the pigeon by removing them.
Six months on from the end of the festive period the tree is certainly looking worse for wear, as its green needles have turned a rather unattractive shade of brown. Councillor Denis Healy said they don’t want to remove the bird, and will wait for the pigeon to leave.
He said: “The council came to move it earlier in the year and the guys who found it said they shouldn’t be moving it, so they didn’t. We had lights on the tree and they are still on it because we were advised moving them might disturb the bird. But the lights aren’t switched on. Quite a few people were wondering why there was a tree still there and why it had been left. We had to put notices on to tell people. As a green council, we care about biodiversity, nature and green issues, we wouldn’t want to remove the bird. But even if we did, it would be illegal.”
