Bill Cockrell Park Closed in Shreveport Due to Huge Vulture Nest
If you told me that a park in Shreveport would close to the public, I wouldn't bat an eye. This is 2020, after all. I would assume that the facilities and features of said park are being cleaned and sanitized, a murder hornet nest was found, or there was a protest planned and go about my day. The reason behind the recent closing of the Bill Cockrell Park and Community Center, however, sticks out even in 2020!
Hundreds of Black Vultures have decided to nest on top of the community center at the park situated in west Shreveport making the entire area a health concern for those who call the neighborhoods surrounding the park and is certainly hazardous to anyone who visits the park.
According to the Ark-La-Tex Homepage, the city of Shreveport and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have closed the park to the public while they conduct operations to rid the park of these gigantic and disgusting birds. Health officials claim that the caustic droppings are a concern, so is the fact that these scavengers regurgitate (vomit) their food as part of the digesting process. This vomit is not only toxic and likely to transmit diseases to humans and animals that come into contact with it, it smells horrible.
The process for removing the birds is kinda nasty too. The USDA is relying on a old (but historically effective) remedy: Hanging the bodies of dead vultures from trees in the area. As disturbing as this is, experts say that this is the most effective way to get so many birds to leave at once.