Fake crocodiles to save bullet-biting flamingos
NICOSIA (Reuters) – Fake crocodiles are scaring away flamingos from a deadly lake in Cyprus, where some 40 birds have died from poisoning after gobbling down lead pellets. Authorities have placed large replica crocodiles in parts of a salt lake in the resort town of Larnaca to scare off the flamingos and stop them from picking up the pellets. The pellets, fired from a nearby shooting range, are blamed for the deaths of about 40 of the birds in the past month. The lake usually accommodates some 2,000 flamingos. «It is a temporary measure to move the flamingos to other parts of the lake to feed,» a person involved in the project told Reuters. «It appears to have been quite effective.» Authorities said they will shut down the shooting range.
