Little bird, you're a pest and now that I learned how to fly I'm going to poison you...says the BI

I hope this is the right topic. I just find it totally ironic that Houston Airport is poisoning birds because they consider them "pests". Yes I know all about bird strikes and such.

Now that humans have learned the technology to fly, the little birds near airports are considered pests no better than a rat or cockroach. We emulated the bird's aerodynamics to an extent in fixed wing aircraft, and now we decide we can poison them because they get in the way of our huge airplanes. Does anyone else find this ironic?

HOUSTON -- Hundreds of birds were poisoned and killed at Bush Intercontinental Airport this past weekend as part of a “bird abatement project” that animal rights groups call cruel and inhumane.

But United called the birds "pests" in an internal company e-mail the I-Team obtained. That e-mail maps out 20 different bait tray sites throughout all terminals at Bush Intercontinental as well as and a United maintenance hangar.

link to article

a reply to: AreUKiddingMe

Does anyone else find this ironic?

Not really. I'm sure there were bears, deer or some other wild animals living where your house is built right now but the local population was either killed off or pushed out of the way from development.

What's the difference?

a reply to: boncho

Deer are overpopulated and far exceed the pop. in the US from ten years ago. Yes, they are in some towns and civilization has displaced some of them, along with bear and other animals. We don't poison them by the hundreds though. Kill a deer or bear without a license and you better have a damn good reason. And deer and bear didn't teach us how to build cabins.

I don't understand the comparison of deer and bears to hundreds of birds being poisoned at a single airport and dropping from the sky dying horrible deaths.

a reply to: AreUKiddingMe

First off, I love your avatar

Second, I do somewhat agree with what you are saying.
I agree that tactic that was used may have been wrong, but the reasoning behind it seems legit to me

Hadidian said the Humane Society recognizes bird engine strikes as a real threat—most notably remembered with the successful landing of a U.S. Airways jet on the Hudson River after a double-engine bird strike. But the Humane Society and other animal rights groups advocate for non-lethal abatement methods. Those can range from noisemaking devices to laying down pigeon birth-control pellets to control overpopulations.

From your source.

There are a LOT of ways to scare birds off of an airport. Best is to hamper them from building their nests in the grass by mowing regularly (starting before mating-season) or using trained hawks and falcons.

a reply to: AreUKiddingMe

I don't understand the comparison of deer and bears to hundreds of birds being poisoned at a single airport and dropping from the sky dying horrible deaths.

There's 7 billion people on the planet, you don't think we just chose all the places with no wildlife to build up our civilization do you?

www.theguardian.com...

Some birds are actually pests. Non-native invasive species spread diseases and drive off native birds.

Regardless, in a war between the big birds and the little ones, the big ones will win a few battles, but the little ones out number them.

It's terrorism against nature, but I am sure the elites will have a "good excuse" for it. It's unacceptable and there are more humane ways to deal with a bird problem.

a reply to: Sremmos80

Thanks for the like on my avatar. I had to practice sitting up in the chair but it wasn't too hard. Now learning to type with paws, that's a different story......

I would be all for noise-making devices or some deterrent to keep them away but not poisoning.

What if someday Aliens come here that are 10 times bigger than we are with spaceships that are 10 times as big as our largest planes? What if they decide to poison us because we are pests in their ultra-intelligent all-knowing minds? Just a thought.

I am kinda wondering why they don't come up with an engine cover or something of the sort that would keep a bird from entering in the first place....seems that would be easier and better for everyone....just make the planes bird proof. Surprised after all these years it hasn't been done yet.

a reply to: ManFromEurope

there are some birds that attack hawks and other birds of pray, they don't run from them.
i know crows and blue jays will.

originally posted by: Vasa Croe
I am kinda wondering why they don't come up with an engine cover or something of the sort that would keep a bird from entering in the first place....seems that would be easier and better for everyone....just make the planes bird proof. Surprised after all these years it hasn't been done yet.

Actually I was watching something on Discovery or some show like that and they talked about it and they have designed it. Problem is with the engines freezing up during flight and stopping the engines is the problem. I couldn't find the vid but here is an article from NYTimes.

then there is the poop...

a reply to: whatnext21

LMAO at the second video!

a reply to: boncho

Fair enough point of view, just different from the way I see it.

I despise pigeons.....they are nasty birds and quite invasive.
They are dirty and greedy.
I cannot blame the airport for getting rid of them.
Birth control pellets would have been nicer though....I'd like to get some of that myself.

My big concern with poison is larger birds/animals eating them and getting sick or dying.