Tired of dodging crow poop, Klang wants to put the birds on the pill

KLANG, Oct 17 — After shooting nearly 6,000 crows this year, the Klang Royal City Council is weighing a different weapon against the birds of Bandar Bukit Tinggi: contraceptive bird feed.

City councillor Chris Lee, who proposed the trial, said it would move the council away from culling towards a more humane way of controlling the population, The Star reported today.

“The oral contraceptive weakens egg yolk membranes to prevent hatching,” he was quoted as saying, adding that the drug is non-lethal.

The idea follows a cull last month in which licensed shooters killed 3,083 crows in a single day in the township and surrounding areas.

Shooting is only a short-term fix, Lee said, because new flocks keep arriving to exploit the same food sources.

Plentiful food and trees to shelter in are the draw, he said, made worse by eateries that dump scraps into drains or fail to dispose of food waste properly.

The township, known for its night stalls and open-air eateries, has seen the crows’ growing numbers raise concern among business owners, shoppers and residents, he said.

Shop owner Ngu Leh Ping, who works at Lorong Batu Nilam 4A, told The Star that parked vehicles end up covered in droppings.

Lee said the droppings deface vehicles, shopfronts and outdoor dining furniture, and their acidity speeds up the corrosion of metal fixtures, signage and building facades.

Dried droppings can also harbour fungal spores and bacteria, he said, calling them a potential health risk.

The council will be briefed in a month by the drug’s local distributor in Shah Alam, after discussing the matter with its Health Department’s sub-committee, said its Corporate Communications Department director Norfiza Mahfiz.