NO, I am not suggesting rats that scurry around in dirty drains and back lanes can fly.
The “flying rats” are pigeons that are found perched on buildings and large numbers flock on the ground whenever they are being fed.
Pigeons are descendants of wild rock doves that inhabited cliffs and are attracted to buildings in cities.
These plump, small-billed, and semi-domesticated birds may look gentle, but they are the most unhygienic birds and carry more diseases than rats!
The “flying rats” nest on their faeces and attract bird mites, which are tiny insects that feed off the bird, but will also make humans itch and scratch.
People washing window ledges could breathe in a fungus found in pigeon droppings that affects the lungs.
The disease is called histoplasmosis and symptoms include fatigue, fever, cough and chest pain.
The fungus can also be inhaled when airborne after bird droppings become dry and those infected may suffer dry cough, fever, headache, muscle ache, chills and sometimes pneumonia.
Large number of pigeons are found at tourist sites where vendors sell birdfeed to visitors.
At places such as Batu Caves, tourists also enjoyed feeding the fishes and monkeys. Some naive visitors diced with danger by teasing primates that can suddenly turn aggressive.
Globally, one of the most famous spots where large number of pigeons are found is at London’s Trafalgar Square.
About 20 years ago, their droppings caused £140,000 worth of damage to Nelson’s Column.
Ken Livingstone, the first mayor of London from 2000 to 2008, described the thousands of pigeons that flocked around Nelson’s Column as “rats with wings” and a health hazard.
A control programme was introduced and pigeon feeding limited to 35kg a day, down from 150kg, and the number of pigeons was reduced from 6,000 to 1,500.
But in Malaysia, we are oblivious to the danger but are well aware of the pesky crows by shooting them down. For example, Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s enforcement department carry out 15 to 18 operations annually and shoots between 4,400 and 5,400 crows.
The condominium where I stay consists of several apartment blocks and are home for hundreds of pigeons making full use of the roofs and ledges for resting and defecating.
They continue to multiply by laying eggs behind air-conditioning compressor units.
If a drone is used to take videos of the mess they left behind, residents would be shocked with the amount of bird droppings covering the roofs and exterior of the buildings. It is well-known that the deadly bird flu can be transmitted from faeces of infected birds.
In 2015, South Korea culled 14 million chickens and other poultry to prevent an avian flu outbreak from spreading.
There was another outbreak the following year and 16 million more were culled.
I hope the authorities and the condominium’s joint management committee take cognisance of the dangers posed by pigeons living in proximity with residents.
While most of us could survive the coronavirus, the mortality rate for avian influenza is about 60%, meaning the majority of patients will die, compared to less than 1.4% for Covid-19 cases in Malaysia.
YS Chan
Kuala Lumpur
