Waging war on Penang's pests

The Star

6 days ago

YOU cannot fine empathetic folk. Impose a RM250 littering fine on those who love to feed pigeons and they will still do it.
They don't see themselves as litterbugs, but as misunderstood caretakers.
For some, pigeon-feeding is morning therapy – a way to feel needed, even a form of merit-making.
The flurry of flapping wings and gentle cooing offers joyful interaction with 'wildlife' in an urban world.
However, the unseen consequence is that feeding leads to massive pigeon colonies hiding in old buildings and roofs.
These colonies leave thick carpets of guano – acidic, ammoniacal, corrosive to concrete and steel, and breeding bacteria and mites.
Pigeons are not like doves or bulbuls – they are genetically programmed to live with humans and cannot survive in the wild.
To manage these urban pests, the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has deployed a range of methods, including remote-controlled traps, nets, warning signs, and fines for those who feed the birds.
Their efforts have shown some success, with fewer pigeons soiling roads in many areas.
But for a long-term solution, pharmacological control is key, and nicarbazin may be the answer. This synthetic compound does not kill. It simply suppresses reproduction by interfering with embryo development in eggs.
If pigeons ingest nicarbazin daily, their eggs will not hatch. Stop the drug, and fertility returns. It is reversible, painless and, based on scientific articles, in use in Europe and the United States.
Consistent dosage is crucial; each pigeon needs about 50mg of nicarbazin daily, usually delivered by mixing a 0.5% concentration into corn kernels.
The most effective system involves automated feeders at fixed sites, releasing treated corn at dawn.
Pigeons and crows feeding on a walkway in Pulau Tikus Pocket Courtyard in George Town. An elderly woman who regularly feeds birds in the area has been fined several times by Penang Island City Council. — ARNOLD LOH/The Star
Cities like Barcelona and New York use solar-powered units programmed to dispense food as birds begin to forage.
Over time, this trains flocks to feed at these stations, achieving fertility control without trapping or killing.
While MBPP has mentioned using nicarbazin, yet not one feeder exists on the island to execute this fertility control, despite evidence of its effectiveness.
Then there are the crows – the ones that tear at rubbish bags and snatch food from hawker and wet market stalls.
MBPP workers have shared that crow traps are ineffective for adult birds – only young ones enter, and the distressed calls of a trapped crow deter others.
When crow shooters are deployed, some Penangites become so distressed that they scream and shout at the shooters, chasing them away.
Could there be a better way? Crows hate erratic light, especially green laser beams. A quick online search for 'crows green laser beams' reveals solutions.
Several cities now use low-power lasers, safe for human eyes but unsettling to birds, fired from rooftops or poles at roosting trees.
The laser does not hurt but its unpredictable flashes make the tree feel unsafe for roosting.
Penang island has thousands of large roadside trees where murders of crows roost cacophonously at dusk.
Timer-operated, rainproof, rechargeable and long-lasting systems could shoot multiple green laser beams into tree canopies every 15 to 30 seconds from 7pm to 10pm.
While it would take many units to wage a laser war against crows, disrupting their roosting behaviour could control their population in the long term.
Neither nicarbazin nor laser beams will solve everything but they may prevent things from worsening without excessive expense.