Guest guest Posted December 20, 2001 Report Share Posted December 20, 2001 http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2001/12/12202001/ap_45912.asp Tokyo unleashes deadly force in citywide crow crackdown Thursday, December 20, 2001 By Hans Greimel, Associated Press TOKYO — City hall unleashed its most deadly measure to date this week in the battle to rein in Tokyo's ornery crows — an extermination plan aimed at wiping out 7,000 of the big black birds by March. Mischievous and aggressive, Tokyo crows brandish blade-sharp beaks and are as adept at picking off prairie dogs at the city zoo as they are at ripping open garbage bags and littering the capital's streets with rotten food. Swamped by complaints, Tokyo launched a citywide plan this week to set up 100 fenced-in traps, some with room for 70 crows. The idea: Lure the birds, then gas them with carbon dioxide. " I've heard of these birds attacking baby kittens, " said task force leader Akira Ishii, as workmen hammered together the first trap in popular Yoyogi Park, where pine thickets reverberate with grating caws and the sky swirls with black silhouettes. " Something had to be done. " Rats are a worry in most big cities. But in Tokyo, crows rank beside air pollution as a top metropolitan headache for Gov. Shintaro Ishihara. The city is spending 30 million yen (US$236,000) for the traps alone. The crow population has more than tripled to about 21,000 since 1985, despite repeated efforts to deprive them of their main food, garbage. Ishii said a population of 7,000 is the natural level. Aside from plundering curbside trash like voracious dogs, Tokyo crows — which have a wingspan of up to 1 meter (3.3 feet) — are known to dive-bomb people who come too close to their fortress-like nests during breeding season. " Beware of Crows " signs hang in city parks, where the airborne marauders are sometimes feared more than purse snatchers. " I hate them, " said banker Miyo Sakai, a one-time fly-by victim. " It was a really scary moment. " Attacks at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo helped rally support for the sweeping crow crackdown. Watching crows pluck up and devour baby prairie dogs or peck holes in the backs of hapless deer was one of the last straws. " It's a big problem for those poor animals, " Ishii said, calling the trap plan a " good idea. " The Tokyo government received 2,891 crow control complaints between May and August. Experts removed 464 nests, destroyed 105 eggs, and killed 1,064 chicks. Aside from trapping, the city has also moved garbage collection times closer to daybreak so trash isn't sitting out as long during crows' prime feeding hours. Bird lovers applaud that move, but any talk of extermination ruffles their feathers. " People misunderstand crows, " said Meiko Kurosawa, of the Wild Bird Society of Japan. " They are part of the wildlife in Tokyo, and we have to live in coexistence. " Corves macrorhynchos, the species commonly found in Tokyo, is also known as the jungle crow. It has largely displaced the smaller Corves corone, or carrion crow, around Tokyo. Tokyo isn't the only Asian city battling the birds. There are about 100,000 in Singapore, about 10 times the natural density. The Singapore Gun Club says it has helped slash the population to that level by shooting nearly 70,000 crows over the past two years. Copyright 2001, Associated Press Check out Shopping and Auctions for all of your unique holiday gifts! Buy at or bid at http://auctions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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