Seagulls pose serious problem

JOHNSTON, RI (WPRI) - Rhode Island Central Landfill officials say seagull problems there are so bad that they've had to approve a variety of measures to reduce the population.

Approved measures include shooting, using pyrotechnics and cannons to try to reduce the population by half.

The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation board voted Tuesday to spend up to $75,000 on the anti-seagull measures for one year.

According to the Providence Journal, there are tens of thousands of birds at the landfill. Officials believe many of them are traveling through an aviation traffic corridor from T.F. Green Airport.

Landfill officials are worried about collisions with aircrafts and annoyed with the amount of bird droppings in the area.

Authorities say they will use non-lethal methods first to try to scare off the seagulls before sending in individuals with shotguns.

The RI Resource Recovery Corporation tells Eyewitness News that they're making fake seagull carcasses to scare off the birds. They stuff pantyhose with socks and place them throughout the landfill.