isilzha Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 Hollywood pigeons to be put on the pill Mon Jul 30, 4:57 AM ET LOS ANGELES - Hollywood residents believe they've found a humane way to reduce their pigeon population and the messes the birds make: the pill. Over the next few months a birth control product called OvoControl P, which interferes with egg development, will be placed in bird food in new rooftop feeders. "We think we've got a good solution to a bad situation," said Laura Dodson, president of the Argyle Civic Association, the group leading the effort to try the new contraceptive. "The mushy mud pie problem has become unmanageable and this could be the answer." Community leaders planned to announce the OvoControl P pilot program, which Dodson believes is the first of its kind in the nation, at a news conference Monday. Dodson said representatives from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals contacted her group with the idea to use OvoControl P. Other animal rights groups, including the Humane Society of the United States, support the contraceptive over electric shock gates, spiked rooftops, poisons or other methods. It's estimated about 5,000 pigeons call the area home. Their population boom is blamed in part on people feeding the birds, including a woman known as the Bird Lady, who was responsible for dumping 25-pound bags of seed in 29 spots around Hollywood. OvoControl P has been registered with the state Department of Pesticide Regulation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Developed by Rancho Santa Fe-based Innolytics, the substance contains nicarbazin, which interferes with an egg's ability to develop or hatch, said Erick Wolf, Innolytics chief executive. The pilot program was expected to show results within a year, and the Hollywood area's pigeon population is expected to shrink by at least half by 2012, Dodson said. [url="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070730/ap_on_re_us/hollywood_pigeons"]http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070730/ap_on_...llywood_pigeons[/url] Anyone else think this is going to end up having some strange and unintended consequences? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totus Tuus Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 (edited) PETA supports this? Edited July 31, 2007 by Totus Tuus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groo the Wanderer Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 methinks we should just teach them the rhythm method Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totus Tuus Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 [quote name='Groo the Wanderer' post='1344880' date='Jul 30 2007, 11:04 PM']methinks we should just teach them the rhythm method [/quote] I bet Bob Barker is happy about this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cow of Shame Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 what's to keep other birds from not eating the food? Sounds like a plan that could potentially backfire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resurrexi Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 That's pretty strange and unnatural... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kateri05 Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 [quote name='Cow of Shame' post='1345015' date='Jul 30 2007, 10:59 PM']what's to keep other birds from not eating the food? Sounds like a plan that could potentially backfire.[/quote] yea, this just feels like something could go wrong unintentionally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cow of Shame Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 [quote name='StThomasMore' post='1345018' date='Jul 31 2007, 02:01 AM']That's pretty strange and unnatural...[/quote] Not really. It's fairly common practice to sterilize at least one sex of a group of organisms where you want to control the size of the population. Sterile male mosquitoes are commonly released to decrease overall numbers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddington Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 [quote name='Cow of Shame' post='1345089' date='Jul 31 2007, 04:30 AM']Sterile male mosquitoes are commonly released to decrease overall numbers.[/quote] Sterilizing male mosquitoes sounds like a lot of work. They must call in the guy at the mall who will write your name on a grain of rice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddington Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 If we can put cute little kittens and puppies to a knife, then we can give pills to filthy birds. = my $.02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamweaver Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 So, when the spotted owl starts eating this stuff and becomes extinct, do we blame PETA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddington Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 [quote name='Dreamweaver' post='1345105' date='Jul 31 2007, 07:23 AM']So, when the spotted owl starts eating this stuff and becomes extinct, do we blame PETA?[/quote] Absolutely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Wednesday Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 Why can't they just shoot them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groo the Wanderer Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 [quote name='Ash Wednesday' post='1345122' date='Jul 31 2007, 08:07 AM']Why can't they just shoot them?[/quote] Good idea! Make lil buffalo pigeon wings, and pigeon cordon bleu, and squab tetrazinni, yum! They are fowl after all... Knowing hollywood, they would make it into the latest fad and the price of pigeon meat would go sky high.......ba-dum-ching Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bone _ Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 I don't see why we just don't sell them all to a French restaurant as "squab"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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