Eager to reduce the neighborhood pigeon population and the mess that comes with it, Hollywood residents appear ready to try a new birth control method on their wild birds.
Beginning within the next couple of months, a substance called OvoControl P will be placed in kibble in new rooftop feeders, say residents and state and local officials. The substance, which interferes with egg development, generally is viewed as a humane way to lower the birthrate of the birds, which many residents consider a nuisance.
"We clean doo-doo all the time and are proud of it," said Laura Dodson, president of the Argyle Civic Assn., the Hollywood group leading the effort to try the new contraceptive. "But our streets are getting bombarded by the poop way too much."
In addition, pigeons could put a damper on a long-planned $80,000 landscape project for the traffic island at Argyle Avenue and Yucca Street, which many local residents consider a gateway to the neighborhood, according to association members.
Pigeon overpopulation affects humans because the birds roost on utility lines, tree branches and elsewhere, depositing their droppings on cars, buildings and sidewalks, residents and officials said.
Members of the civic association, Los Angeles city officials and representatives of the company that developed the substance plan to announce today that Hollywood will be the first place in the state to try OvoControl P. Supporters of the plan include the Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which favor the contraceptive over electric shock gates, spiked rooftops, fatal poisons or other mitigation methods.
"One of the most common complaints we get about urban animals is how to control pigeons," said Stephanie Boyles, lead wildlife biologist for PETA.
Maggie Brasted, director of urban wildlife conflict resolution for the Humane Society, said contraception is acceptable in dealing with large pigeon populations.
"Some animal lovers say wild animals should be left alone and human interaction with them should be limited to an extent," Brasted said. "We see that point and we wish that could be the case, but in taking a pragmatic stance, we would much rather they use contraception than poison or anything harmful."
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.
