aviation

Birds block shortcut

The Comité de Peligro Aviario, a group comprised of members from the Autoridad de Aeronáutica Civil and two other government institutions, has decided to eradicate the birds that regularly congregate on the Terraplén de San Felipe, in Casco Viejo, which have been declared a threat to aircraft.

Chief supporters of the proposal includes pilots of President Martín Torrijos’s helicopters, who claim that birds circling above Casco Viejo block shortcuts to the Palacio de Las Garzas, the Panamanian equivalent of the White House.

A source for the AAC denied that the president will be the only one to benefit from the measure, and said that the air space above the capital’s colonial center could be used by other, non-official aircraft in the case of an emergency.

"The fear is that one of those birds will get into a turbine and cause an accident," said one of the spokesmen of the AAC.

Among the measures being implemented includes culling some of the birds to control the population growth in the area, and fining nearby fisherman who toss fish waste into the ocean.

The Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (Anam) said it has given permission for the birds to be controlled with poison bait, but pledged to monitor the task.

Animal rights group Asociación de Amigos de los Animales said it will do what they can to supervise the bird eradication process to ensure that it is done in a humane manner.