Downtown Portland Unleashes Hawks on Crows

PORTLAND, OR — Downtown Clean and Safe is launching a new effort to rid Portland of a messy problem: crows. KOIN is reporting that hawks will be unleashed in a four-week experimental program. It may be the first program of its kind in an urban area.

Crows have a natural fear of raptors — like hawks and falcons — and the plan is to scare the crows away from downtown. The hawks were released in front of the Standard Insurance Building Thursday evening.

The pilot project is a team effort from Downtown Clean and Safe — who operates the Poopmaster 6000 — and Integrated Avian Solutions. This method has been used in farming areas and landfills, but this month-long project in a 12-block area might be the first attempt in a city.

Photo by Jonathan Kershaw via Flickr Commons