United States Government Poisons Crows

by Wendy Washburn and Sarah Wahlert

For a second year in a row, United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services (USDAWS) has poisoned hundreds of crows in Alexandria, VA in response to complaints about the birds’ calls and droppings.

According to USDAWS, the calls are merely irritants, but the droppings pose a public health threat because Histoplasma capsulatum, a fungus, often appears in soil "enriched" by them.

A number of animal advocates have objected to the poisoning.

"There are many effective non-lethal approaches to human-crow conflicts," said Fund for Animals Urban Wildlife Director Laura Simon. "Alarm call tapes, laser beam devices and pyrotechnics...have been proven highly effective in repelling crows from areas where they are not wanted."

The advocates’ objections also stem from a United States Environmental Protection Agency finding that the risk posed by Starlicide, the poison used to kill the crows, to untargeted animals is significant.

"It’s far better to teach existing birds to stay away from certain areas than to keep poisoning and then see how crows from the surrounding area quickly take their place," said Simon.

© 2003 Animal News Center, Inc.