GEORGE TOWN: A crow-culling operation using shotguns in the seaside resort of Batu Ferringhi had to be halted after a woman stepped in, screaming for it to be stopped.
The woman, a local, was especially upset because the shooting was done at around 7pm when the birds come to roost.
It is also a time when tourists throng shops and eateries below the trees.
An official from Penang Island City Council (MBPP), who declined to be named, said the woman used her handphone to record the operation on Sunday.
Street hunt: A shooter aiming at the crows in Batu Ferringhi.
“A woman approached the team at the intersection of Jalan Sungai Emas.
“She shouted for the operation to stop while recording a video.
“Following this, the senior officer in charge decided to halt the operation.
“No adverse incident occurred during the shooting.
“Crow control measures were taken to reduce the crow population, which has been causing disturbances to the public based on complaints received,” he said on Monday.
He said that the team was closely monitored by two policemen to ensure the angle of the shots would not endanger people or property.
Crows, along with pigeons and rats, are listed as public pests with the potential of spreading disease to people.
Although crow-culling by way of shooting is done nationwide, several residents in Batu Ferringhi were upset about it.
Another woman, who wanted to be known only as Loong, voiced her frustration about the timing and manner of the operation.
“They could not have picked a worse time. It was dinner time, and there were children running around.
“What kind of impression will foreign tourists have about Batu Ferringhi and Penang if there can be open shootings in the middle of a busy street?
“The crows are here because we humans are the problem, throwing trash everywhere and creating an environment for them to breed. There are more humane ways to control the crow population,” she said.
