SURIN: Thousands of mynah birds have taken up residence in the province's Muang district, making life difficult for people living and working in the area.
Mynahs are seen on wires. Photo by Nopparat Kingkaew
At the fresh market in the town, the birds come to life at around 4am when they leave to scavenge for food in a noisy mass exocus and return to the same place in the evening at around 7pm.
Many traders in the market say they are used to the noise but there is a serious concern about hygienic from bird droppings on wires, streets, buildings and vehicles. The situation has occurred at this time of year for about three years and the residents have demanded the municipality take action to control the birds and clean the area more often.
Smarn Wangkahad, 51, a watch repairer working in front of the Surin municipality market, said there had been pigeons in the past but the number was not as many as now. Mynahs began to replace the pigeons a few years ago and are disturbing the normal life of many people in the area. Some house owners have put up nets to stop the birds from flying into their properties. Some had also hung CDs or buckets around their windows in the hope that would scare the birds away. However, these methods seem to yield little result as the birds come back every night.
Prasertsak Sanpechudayan, the provincial livestock official for Surin, said mynah droppings contain no germs or disease. The mynahs bring only the annoyance factor from noise and dirtiness. However, the office will work with the municipality to solve the problem.
Pornchai Mungcharoenporn, deputy mayor of Muang Surin municipality, said the administration will try to find a solution to the situation. In the initial stage, the municipality will clean the area every month to prevent the spread of disease.