Addu City, Maldives — The crows in Meedhoo of Addu City to be shot to death as they are killing White Terns, native to Addu City and sparking fears of eradication of the White Tern species.
A statement released from the Meedhoo Council informed that starting from 06:00 this morning, MNDF Officers will be shooting crows in the island and that so far, they have succeeded in killing only one crow.
Meedhoo Council requested the assistance of the residents and asked them to call the numbers 9955334 or 7789041 if they sight of any crows in the island.
In recent times, the number of crows has been increasing in Addu city, threatening the lives of the White Terns which are native to the city as well as a protected species in the country. Videos have emerged on social media where crows were seen eating White Terns, as well as reports of crows attacking the Terns and their young ones.
There is outcry of the public that crows may completely take over the space of the white terns after eradicating the species. The reduction of the native White Tern population may also be attributed to increased construction, cell towers, loss of habitat. The locals attribute the origin of the crow population in recent years to crows being brought into the city by humans.
The issue is close to the hearts of Addu people as White Terns are a representation of Addu and are only native to the city in the country.
