Ruadhán Jones
France’s society for the protection of birds has issued a plea for the reconstruction of Notre-Dame to keep the original holes atop the edifice that were home to kestrels and other species for centuries before the cathedral was devastated by fire in 2019.
Under current plans they could be removed, the Irish Independent reported.
The “putlock holes” have been favoured as nesting sites for kestrels since 1840, with blue tits and swifts also using them for their offspring.
But as President Emmanuel Macron is adamant the cathedral will be reopened for visitors in time for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO) has issued an appeal that the birds should not fall “fowl” of the imminent reconstruction work.
Legislation rushed through parliament to speed up the process waived certain environmental obligations that LPO fears mean the birds’ welfare will be overlooked.
“The argument to remove them is to say it will avoid the proliferation of pigeons and will thus put a stop to droppings,” said Emmanuel du Cherimont, LPO member for the Paris region.
“But on the contrary, birds must not be forgotten and the putlock holes must not be filled. They are essential for the life of falcons,” he told Le Parisien.