Considered the most beautiful ground in Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain revealed the secret to the success of the Parc des Princes green carpet this Saturday: none other than…hawks!
Six years ago, a falconry company was hired to protect the lawn from pigeon attacks.
“It takes 12 weeks for a turf in good condition. This year the concerts had to work longer before the competition returned. Big cities like London or Paris are famous for pigeons. They eat grass seeds, and without seeds we have no grass. That’s where the hawks come in – a tactic to scare away the pigeons and thus allow the grass to grow naturally,” said Jonathan Calderwood, head gardener at PSG.
“On the first day we make thirty or forty attacks, some birds are specially trained to interfere with stadiums. For example, the hawk “Harris” comes directly from the United States, it is one of those who hunt in packs, like wolves,” Calderwood explained.
For this service, the Parisian emblem pays Christophe Puzin for falconry about 20,000 euros per year.
