At the request of local residents greatly disturbed by the cries and nuisances of a colony of starlings, the Toulouse town hall called in a professional and his birds of prey.
After the ferrets to dislodge the rats from their lairs, birds of prey to scare the starlings. Toulouse town hall adopts an ecological policy to deal with the problem of pests in the city. Between Thursday, November 30 and Saturday, December 2, specialists from the company Fauconnerie Capture Effarouchement, from Lectoure in the Gers, intervened at the Lafourguette cemetery, in the southwest of Toulouse.
Several thousand starlings in the cypresses of the Lafourguette cemetery
On this site, several thousand starlings have taken up residence in the cypresses for several days. Residents of the cemetery, as well as visitors, notified the town hall via the Allô Toulouse service.
Indeed, the flights of starlings cause significant noise pollution, and the bird droppings “decorate” graves and bouquets. Colonies can reach several thousand individuals.
Bertha, an 8-year-old buzzard, deters by her simple presence
This Friday, the town hall invited the press to attend a scare session. Bertha, a 1 kg Harris Hawk, aged 8 years, is trained to “wander” between graves, at the foot or in the branches of trees, and to return at the request of her “master”. When a few starlings begin to appear in the sky, a little before 5 p.m., Benjamin Gadras lets go. Naturally, the birds move away. “We already came yesterday, and today few starlings came back. It works well, explains the professional. One more session tomorrow Saturday, and it will be good.”
Scaring methods are evolving
The raptor does not kill any starlings, it does not go hunting, but deters by its presence. Specialists can also make sounds, such as recordings of starlings calling in danger. Other methods, such as crackling, are also available, while remaining within sound levels acceptable to local residents.
A successful operation, which could be repeated in other neighborhoods
“A few years ago, we were able to use fairly noisy scaring methods, but this frightened local residents, animals and children. Especially in the city center. This natural method is more respectful of the environment and people,” explains Françoise Ampoulange, municipal councilor responsible for animals in the city. “We can restart this operation in the event of nuisance in another area of the city. »
2023-12-02 10:46:18
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