SAN
FRANCISCO (AP) - The hunt is on to find out what or who is killing the
pigeons of San Francisco.
About 40 of the often-disparaged
``flying rats'' turned up dead Monday, starting with the early-morning
discovery of the first body, near Union Square.
``At first I thought
it was shot,'' said street sweeper Jack McGann. ``But then I found the
other three, and that many dead pigeons points to poison.''
``One of my officers
saw one pigeon literally fall from the sky,'' said Capt. Vicky Guldbech
of the Department of Animal Care and Control. ``This is very, very odd.
We've really seen nothing like this before.''
A few minutes later,
15 more bodies were found in Union Square. Police were notified, and several
showed up to investigate the deaths. Small shrouds were placed over the
remains.
Later in the morning,
10 more bodes were found several miles away, and another 10 turned up dead
in another part of town.
Gudbach said there
were no obvious signs of foul play, and suggested disease or toxic plants
might be to blame. The birds were to be examined Tuesday.
