Splat! The growing problem hitting more colleges now
June 3, 2009 by Geneva ReidPosted in: Special Report, Student Life
There’s a problem sitting right on many of the nation’s college campuses.
But the even bigger problem is that few people know it exists.
Birds, bats and rodents are becoming a top concern for today’s colleges and universities – and it’s understandable when you consider they carry more than 60 different diseases.
In addition to the numerous health risks associated with their droppings, there’s also the potential for health-related lawsuits.
When the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) experienced the problem, it decided to take action.
There had been a reported 1,000 pigeons gathering around the outdoor cafeteria, and university officials were concerned about the health hazard this posed to students.
Pigeon droppings are a main source of the cryptococcus fungus. People who are infected with it can develop lung infections, which then can spread to the central nervous system. Unless it’s treated, cryptococcus is usually fatal.
Histoplasmosis is found in soil contaminated by pigeon droppings. It targets the respiratory system and also may be fatal.
So what was UCLA’s solution? An owl – although not a real one. It’s two feet in diameter and looks like a big yellow beach ball. It even has holographic eyes that appear to follow a pigeon wherever it moves.
So far, the university seems to be successful in keeping the birds away.
Other schools have tried controlling pests with dogs, guns and yes, plastic owls.
But experts in pest control warn these methods are really no more than Band-Aids: You need to make an infested area inhospitable to a pest if you want to get rid of it.
Will UCLA’s efforts be enough in the long run? Time will tell.
Have you ever had a problem with pigeons or other pests at your school? Tell us about it in the comments section below.
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Tags: Health, pest control, pigeons, University of California Los Angeles
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June 4th, 2009 at 11:44 pm
Oh, come on! With all the problems facing American Education this very day, do you really think bird poop is worth our time?
This reeks of the myopic paranoia of administrators, and the reflexive pandering of what passes for journalism these days. It is irresponsible to contribute to hysteria. (Check out how the WNYC radio program “On The Media” has dealt with news coverage of “the assault of the bedbugs”.)
Show me concrete evidence of illness due to bird poop on campus.
Show me balanced coverage of the pros & cons of campus critters, the different kinds of animals that exist on campuses, the factors that draw them there.
At least give us some links to more thorough, less alarmist discussions of the topic.
June 5th, 2009 at 5:26 am
I would like to receive follow-up comments on this topic, as well as any other health risks that you may address.
June 5th, 2009 at 9:31 am
To James: Don’t take this lightly! There is a genuine potential risk here and we shouldn’t have to wait until people are sick and dying before taking action. Remember: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”! Furthermore, I’m sure you’re an educated person, so why can’t you just ‘Google’ this topic for more details?! Take some responsibility instead of making others do the work for you (regarding the need for links)! Since this is a ‘blog’ why don’t YOU do the research to show the “balanced” coverage under these “Responses”.
June 5th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Yes, this is a problem at our school. Barn swallows nest all over the place. They have perched above the eves and doorways. There is poop on the doors and door handles. When the nest under the eves the ground below is covered with a good inch or so of bird droppings in just a short time. When is is wet it’s a mess when it’s dry it turns to dust. I’m sure it is not a good thing otherwise I’m sure administration would be spreading this all over campus.
June 5th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
For some species of birds, all it takes is the killing of one bird to drive the whole flock away. You could try hiring a falconer to hunt a bird or two and see if this . There could be problems concerning the legality of falconing in urban or suburban settings, though, so check with your local police department or fish & wildlife administration. The North American Falconers Association also has some good information at http://www.n-a-f-a.org/.
June 5th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
I haven’t even heard of this ‘Cryptococcus’ so obviously it’s not a big deal at my university. But even then, some research has told me that healthy individuals don’t typically get infected by it – even with a LOT of exposure. And with histoplasmosis you have to sit there and inhale the droppings for quite some time it seems to get it. So this shouldn’t really be a concern. My guess is that few people know it exists because it truly isn’t a big deal.
June 8th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Well, if you’ve never heard of it, then it must not be important! Thanks for clarifying that for the rest of us and being the litmus test for all articles and topics in the universe!
June 8th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Lucky for us a few red-tailed hawks have moved onto our campus. They are great pest predators, and we have noticed a difference.
June 9th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Take heed of the fact that exposure to this can cause miscarriages. How would you like it if a friend or relative loses a child to this exposure? If you don’t know of anyone having had this happen, you are lucky.
June 14th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
Hi, very nice post. I have been wonder’n bout this issue,so thanks for posting
June 20th, 2009 at 11:35 am
Oh, come one, folks! Do any of you honestly believe that this is a problem for universities that is worth the time and trouble involved? The problem doesn’t exist merely because you are on a campus. Those “pests” are part of the natural world around us. No matter where we go, they are there, changing only in species and problem set. Anywhere you have pidgeons, you have the problems associated with them, and making a place “inhospitable” to them doesn’t mean they aren’t there. They just aren’t there in the numbers you will find in a more hospitable place. And, if you have one pidgeon, even on an irregular basis, you have the risk of cryptococcus and histoplasmosis. You can’t sanitize the World, and even if you do, all you are really doing is crippling the immune systems of all those who grow up in that sanitized environment.
On a scale of one to ten, this problem isn’t even a four. Sure, you need to keep pidgeons from over-populating an area, but eliminating them is both impractical and harmful to the natural environment.
January 29th, 2010 at 6:44 pm
For UCLA, this was a particular problem in the cafeteria in the hospital. As you can imagine, patients, their families, and hospital staff all gather there, so the concern about infection is justified.