The City of Sunnyvale is in the midst of its own Hitchcockian nightmare. Every night, over 1,000 crows descend upon the San Francisco Bay town, wreaking havoc.
“They're very intimidating," resident Katelin Parkos told NBC Bay Area’s Damian Trujillo. "Very reminiscent of 'The Birds.’”
Ironically, Sunnyvale is just a two and half hour drive from the town where the 1963 horror classic was filmed.
The birds are pooping everywhere, caking sidewalks and streets. Residents say they've even swooped down and attacked people.
To fight back, the city has approved a bird abatement program that's almost too wild to believe. The city and its Downtown Association purchased green laser pointers on Amazon for less than $20 a pop.
“They'll be handed out to local residents and business owners for use before the end of the month,” CBS News reports.
Pew pew pew.
Most crows will disperse if a laser pointer is aimed at them. But laser pointers can cause blindness, so the idea of a light saber battle with the birds’ eyes has received pushback from the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society.
Mayor Larry Klein says this is the best option and that it’s been used before in places like Rochester, Minnesota.
“For whatever solution you come up with, you always have a certain amount of detractors. We will study it, and we'll evaluate it more. But from what we've seen, from reputable sources, it is a valid solution to deal with the problem," said Klein.
Quoth the mayor, "Nevermore."