City begins annual anti-roosting program

Every year, the city of Harrisburg, Pa., disperses American Crows as much as possible to discourage the birds from roosting in and around the capitol complex. The 10-year-old program operates every night from 5 to 7 p.m. for a few weeks and aims to make sidewalks safer for pedestrians.

The department consulted with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop the anti-roosting measure. It is not harmful to the crows, people, environment or other animals. The program works as a preventative maintenance measure and involves the discharge of caps or blanks by Capitol Police officers. It helps maintain safety on sidewalks by reducing the amount of crow excrement that can be hazardous to pedestrians, especially in rainy weather.

Do you know of other cities with anti-roosting programs?