Falconry takes flight in Downtown Sacramento to address crow problem
SACRAMENTO - There's an effort to address the growing public health concern caused by thousands of crows gathering on the Capitol Mall in Downtown Sacramento.
The area has been dealing with an overwhelming number of crows, creating not only an unsightly environment but also posing safety hazards to the public.
Adam Baz, a falconer, and his falcon, Jasper, have taken up the task of managing the more than 5,000 crows that have migrated to the Capital Mall.
"The reason they migrate here is that there are fewer predators, it's a safer place for them to sleep, and there are ample food resources," Baz said.
He describes Jasper as a "living scarecrow." Instead of hunting, Jasper's presence serves as a deterrent, scaring them away and dispersing them from the downtown area.
"What we're doing is using highly trained predators, such as falcons and hawks, to very humanely push the crows out of the core of downtown," Baz said.
The main concern with the number of crows is the number of droppings they produce, posing a safety hazard to the public. Baz says that using trained predators to scare them off is the most humane and effective solution to the problem.
Despite Jasper's effectiveness, Baz says a lack of awareness of their job is their biggest challenge.
"They think if you have a pigeon problem at their building, the option is to cover it in hideous spikes that don't work anyway. You can hire a falconer. We're out there, we're available," Baz said.