Poison ends pigeon problem

A pest control company has made quick work of the pigeon problem in Georgetown.

The problem started last fall when the town tore down an old building in the downtown. A flock of hundreds of pigeons that had been roosting in the building was let loose. They settled on nearby buildings.

Georgetown Mayor Michael Gallant worried the birds were more than a nuisance. He was concerned the feces left behind by the flock were a health hazard.

The company hired to get rid of the unwanted pigeons used dried corn laced with a chemical repellant called Avitrol. Gallant says within three or four days there were only a few dozen pigeons remaining.

Avitrol works by attacking the birds' nervous systems. It causes convulsions, which alarms other birds and causes them to fly to another area.

The poison is not designed to kill the birds, but it did kill about 25 in Georgetown.

The town received some calls from residents concerned about dying pigeons flopping around. Gallant says most of the calls he received from people concerned about the birds were from outside the town.