Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 23, 1983)
A&A1 a popular stop for birds by Tricia Parker Battalion reporter Texas A&M is engaged in an ongoing battle to drive away birds roosting in trees at the cen ter of campus. And A&M may _ even be winning. Dr. Keith A. Arnold, profes- h sor in the Department of Wild- | life Science, says the blackbirds, a which decorate the sidewalks I around the Academic Building 1 with their droppings, are mostly f rackles, starlings and cow- irds. When the birds first arrived | on campus in the 1940s, Arnold I says, they were referred to as ■ "uncommon summer resi- 8 dents." Now, he says, they are ■ here to stay. Arnold says that although no ■ one really knows why the birds ® have migrated here, it may be I because of an abundance of S grain in the area. Urbanization I and the loss of wooded lots in B the area also may be contribut- B ing factors, Arnold says. The full extent of the Aggie I ———— bird problem became apparent during the winter of 1977-78 when, over the Christmas break, the campus was invaded by an estimated 1.5 million blackbirds, says the director of the Department of Ground Maintenance, Eugene H. Ray. The birds took shelter in the live oaks surrounding the Academic Building, Ray says, and proceeded to cover the side walks, bicycles and even people with bird droppings. The fecal material was an inch deep in some places, he says. In addition to the general nui sance and Hitchcock-like atmos phere they created, Ray says the birds were costing the Universi ty a fortune in ground mainte nance — about $20,000 each month. So, in January 1978, the De partments of Wildlife Science and Ground Maintenace mobil ized to fight the invasion. At first, Ray says, conventional "weapons" were used to fight the birds. Ray got permission from the Texas Parks and Wildlife De partment to shoot the birds. This proved unpopular with the student body as well as in humane, he says. Maintenance people did notice, however, that the sound of the shotguns was just as effec tive as actually killing the birds. So, armed only with trashcan lids, the grounds maintenance employees crept out at dusk, and in a style reminiscent of ti ger hunts, beat the lids to flush out their quarry, Ray says. This was effective but primitive, he says. Next, Ray says, they tried ex ploding firecrackers and hang ing burlap sacks in trees, also with little success. In desperation, he says, maintenance employees brought out the heavy artillery. They began stalking the birds with a noise-making propane using cannon. Ray says the tremendous noise produced by the cannon was still not effective enough in dispersing the birds. Exotic wildlife finds home at vet school by Ann Ramsbottom Battalion staff A variety of livestock and pet species are routine patients at the Texas A&M college of veter inary medicine. Occasionally, however, the not-so-common animals have to be treated too. Take for instance, Mr. E. Guana, a now permanent resi dent of the college of veterinary medicine. Mr. E. Guana, an iguana (reptile), came to A&M with a nutritional deficiency. "When Mr. E. Guana came nine months ago, he couldn't walk or eat and he had a de formed jaw," said Dr. Elizabeth Russo, veterinary clinical associ ate of small animal medicine. "That's exactly why people shouldn't have exotic animals as pets. People don't understand the nutritional requirements of these animals." Because of Mr. E. Guana's se vere condition when he was brought to A&M, he was don ated to the University. Guana, who lost his teeth because of his deficiency, now will be used for veterinary students to have "hands-on-experience" with, and will be displayed in the re ception area of the clinic. A few years ago a boa con strictor was brought in because he hadn't eaten for a year. The problem was diagnosed as an environmental problem. The snake had been kept in an air- conditioned atmosphere. He was too cold and simply wouldn't eat, Russo said. However, snakes usually aren't a problem. They eat whole animals and therefor, a balanced diet. Much is known about bird nutrition, Russo said. However, many owners still have their ex otic birds on an all-seed diet when they should be sup plemented with vegetables and fruits. "People are usually willing to pay to have their exotic animals treated," Russo said. Occasionally, people are will ing to pay large sums to have their not-so-exotic pets treated. Russo recalled a $200 bill for the treatment of a uterine infection in a guinea pig. Basically, the college of veter inary medicine serves as an out patient clinic for common prob lems, however, many problem cases are referred to the school. "We're sort of a clearing house for difficult cases," said Dr. Jeff Watkins, veterinary cli nical associate for large animals. Most of the larger exotic anim als come in to be treated for orthopedic problems. Some of these animals are dangerous and must be restrained by the use of an immobilizing gun. "You can't work on them while they're awake," Russo said. (see EXOTIC, page 11) Then came the present model, the bazooka of anti-bird war fare. The latest weapon uses a tape of the distress call of a starl ing as well as the propane can non to scare away birds. The tape is hooked up to an amplifier and mounted on a truck with the cannon, Ray says. The tape is broadcast at inter vals, alternating with the firing of the cannon. Ray says if the truck is used three or four nights in a row, it forces the birds to retreat to the fringes of campus where they are less of a nuisance. But, the call and the cannon are so loud that Ray would rather not use the equipment when students are on campus. Until now, Ray says, they have used the truck only during the Christmas vacation and dur ing the break between the sum mer and fall sessions of school. But if the need becomes great enough, he says, he will run the truck during Thanksgiving or even on an away-game weekend. Dr. Arnold says he doesn't be lieve the birds will become im mune to the harassment be cause their average life span is only one to two years. "If they had nowhere else to go, they might become used to the harassment," Arnold says. "But as it is they'll just roost somewhere else." He says the cannon and tape are an effective, inexpensive short-term solution. The only real solution, he says, is trim ming the trees. The birds are attracted to the trees because of the shelter their lush foliage provides, Arnold says. If the limbs are trimmed annually, they offer a less hos pitable home to the birds, Arnold says. "It is an expensive but long term solution," Arnold says. Arnold says a small roost is on campus right now, about 40,000 birds, but more birds can be ex- ected if the winter is especially arsh. lAnts unlimited by Stephanie Marshall Battalion reporter It was a Friday night and my roomate had just finished a ro mantic dinner with her boyf riend. When she returned to the kitchen, she discovered many more dinner guests than she had planned. Our condomi- I nium had been invaded by...ANTS. Not having a weapon to de- ^ fend ourselves with, we went to four strong, handsome neigh- I bors, who bravely handed us a bottle of ant-and-roach killer to ■ kill our own bugs. "We tried to beat, kick, | squish, squash, scream, and Seven sweet talk them out of our ^condominium, but they just ■ kept coming back for more," said Kathi Washburn, a local re sident. ■ What should one do if he finds himself with ants that 1 overstay their welcome, if they ■were ever welcome in the first gplace? ■ First, try to kill them with a can of ant killer, one way or ■ another. If the ants insist upon staying, then reporting the inva- Ssion to an apartment manager or B ™ esident adviser (if it occurs in a lorm) will be the best solution to gthe problem. As long as you have people ith food in their dorm rooms. Sit I I cookies and crackers for exam ple, then you'll have a problem with insects," says Beth Casten- son, head resident of Mosher. Castenson says insects are ex terminated in the dorms during the Christmas and summer breaks each year. But who's to say that the ex terminator got everyone of those critters? There's always the one that got away and cre ated another one, that created another, that created another... "The ants are so bad in our dorm that they get into our closets and crawl around in our clothes," Julie Troy, an Under wood Hall resident. "It's dow nright gross!" If you are one of the lucky people who has ants that sur vived the extermination, that then go forth to multiply, the best thing to do is to grin and bear it. Perhaps sending the Welcome Wagon lady (or ant) with gifts to the antbeds, setting out a plate of cookies on the counter or even throwing a par ty in their honor would be the polite thing to do. But whatever way the situation may be hand led, you now have some new roomates. Treat them as you want them to treat you. As for the infestation of ants in our condominium, the exter mination method worked. They really zapped those suckers. All's well that ends well! Ir^T